| A significantly higher number of African Americans | | | | of cancer than the Caucasians. They may also |
| die from cancer than Caucasians - a recent study | | | | not be able to afford high end treatments as the |
| corroborates statistical figures that seem to | | | | Caucasians. |
| remain almost unchanged from as early as 1981. | | | | The relatively poor education and awareness |
| While the death rate for cancer has drastically | | | | among African Americans, lack of access to |
| decreased in the recent past, the gap between | | | | advanced diagnostic facilities and even the |
| the death rate in Caucasians and African | | | | qualifications of physicians who are likely to treat |
| Americans still remains the same. African | | | | the African American population have been shown |
| Americans seem to be at more risk to die from | | | | as possible causative factors for this gap. |
| cancer than Caucasians. | | | | The level of education seems to have the |
| African American women have a higher death | | | | greatest effect on cancer survival on both the |
| rate than Caucasians women, compared to the | | | | Afro-American and Caucasian population. To close |
| percentage in 1981. For African American men, | | | | the racial gap, African Americans are encouraged |
| the higher death rate as compared to Caucasians | | | | to have a personal doctor, to be more proactive |
| men remains almost the same as before. | | | | about their health, diet and exercise, and to lead a |
| Estrogen receptive (ER) negative breast cancers | | | | healthier lifestyle. |
| are likely to be developed more by black women | | | | Even biologically driven differences that cause |
| than white women. The ER negative breast | | | | disparity in cancer survival rates between white |
| cancer is more deadly than the breast tumors | | | | and black patients may be driven by factors such |
| that are ER positive. Still, this biological disparity | | | | as poverty and culture. |
| does not explain the advantage of survival that | | | | The healthcare system also needs to ensure that |
| white patients seem to have when affected by | | | | adequate training and resources are provided to |
| cancer. | | | | hospitals handling Afro-American cancer patients |
| The difference in survival rates may have | | | | to bring down this gap. Research done on this |
| something to do with the socio-economic | | | | area seem to categorically point to the act that if |
| backgrounds of most of the African American | | | | medical care were equal and if preventive care |
| and Caucasian population, according to experts. | | | | was emphasized more for black patients bringing |
| African Americans tend to be diagnosed of | | | | it at par with the white patients, the disparity in |
| cancer at a much later and more advanced stage | | | | cancer survival would largely come down. |