Genetic factors in the gap for the survival of breast, ovarian or prostate cancer

A new report shows that patients of African American breast, ovarian, prostate cancer and earlier than patients of other races of these tumors, even if they are identical, if the medical treatment and socioeconomic factors for. The identification, analysis of nearly 20,000 patients in 35 clinical studies on the genetic or biological factors as a potential source for the survival of emptiness. Dawn Hershman, MD, MS, one of the Columbia University Medical Center, oncologist, whose research is to examine the racial or ethnic differences in cancer treatment, and outcomes in cancer treatment, survivors The author was responsible for online searching of the journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI). The study analyzes the clinical trial patients - go back to 1974 - the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG). Investigators, analysis, controlling for comparable treatment, differences in tumor prognosis, demographics and socio-economic status, and no statistically significant difference in survival with regard to race a certain number of cancer - lung, including, colon, lymphoma, multiple myeloma and leukemia. However, African American patients with breast, ovarian or prostate cancer - the sex of the tumors - were significantly higher with a risk of death than other patients, 21% for persons from the prostate cancer 61% higher in ovarian cancer patients.

The results for the poor African-American cancer patients was different from published data in the last month in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO), which shows that differences in survival of breast cancer for reasons race, even after adjusting for differences of treatment. The analysis of data from 634 patients with breast cancer, the two SWOG studies was the first author Dr. Hershman. The results showed that African American women received doses and the intensity of the cumulative dose of patients with breast cancer in the Caucasus, but rather that the treatment prematurely delay treatment or experience. In addition, African American women of low white blood cell count is, but no increase in complications of infections. During Dr. Hershman and her team cleans specific treatment for these and other factors known to predict the outcome, such as age, hormone receptor status, stage, and treatment, African women American still survive.

"The results of both studies are important because it is based on a potential role for biological factors such as genetics, hormonal factors, comorbid tumor biology and treatment of cancer, differences. A better understanding of the factors that are critical, so that progress can be used to reduce cancer mortality for patients of all peoples and ethnic groups, "says Dr. Hershman, professor of medicine and epidemiology at Columbia University Medical Center and co - program director of breast cancer at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center in New York-Presbyterian Hospital / Columbia University Medical Center. "There may be differences in genetic factors, race to change the metabolism of chemotherapy drugs or improve the fight against cancer and more aggressive. We are now searching for the role of these factors in this difference. "

"If you are in dialogue on the issue of race and cancer, the survival of these last years, it seems increasingly to general conclusions, that African Americans have poorer access to to quality treatment, diagnosis at a later stage and can not the same quality care, Caucasian patients, resulting in an imbalance in survival, "said Kathy Albain, MD, Loyola University Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, lead, and senior author of the JNCI JCO and the documents are. "The good news is that for most types of cancer, their survival is the same, regardless of race. But this is not the case, the breast, ovary and prostate. "

"The need to understand the differences in the survival of cancer race results - both sociological and biological - has never been more urgent," says Dr. Hershman. "With the development of cancer from the minorities the next two decades - comparable to the frequency is white, with an increase of 31 percent - which is a very important public health problem to understand all the factors, the results of the survival of change. "