Dr. Johnson on Racial Disparities in Outcomes Across Multiple Tumor Types

Anita Johnson, MD, FACS, a breast surgeon, and the breast cancer program director at Cancer Treatment Centers of America, discusses racial disparities in outcomes across multiple tumor types.

A study that was conducted by the National Cancer Institute reviewed disparities across several tumor types in oncology, according to Johnson. When death rates are compared across cancer types, the mortality rates of African American patients are significantly higher vs Caucasian patients. Additionally, when examining the incidence of breast cancer by race, rates are equal between Black and White women. However, mortality rates are significantly higher for African American women stage for stage, Johnson says.

While death rates are declining in prostate cancer as a whole, Black men continue to be twice as likely to die from the disease compared with White men. Moreover, in cervical cancer, Black and Hispanic women have higher incidence rates, although Black women are notably dying at a higher rate, Johnson concludes.