WILMINGTON, Del.—Feb. 16, 2010—Cancer, the
peer-reviewed international journal of the American Cancer Society,
has published a study conducted by HealthCore, Inc. in its Jan. 1
edition, demonstrating disparities in breast cancer treatment
between commercially insured African-American and white women.
The HealthCore study reiterates the findings of previous studies
— conducted in populations using government health programs
— that African-American women are diagnosed in later stages
of the disease.
Breast cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in
white and African-American women in the United States.
"This study demonstrates that disparities in breast cancer care
exist even when patients have access to employer-provided
healthcare," said Dr. Joe Singer, HealthCore vice president for
clinical affairs. "A key takeaway from our study is that
African-American women were diagnosed with breast cancer at younger
ages, but in later stages of breast cancer, when chances of
survival diminish greatly."
The study, funded by Amgen, was conducted in collaboration with
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia and the American Cancer
Society. HealthCore is working with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of
Georgia and the American Cancer Society to further evaluate the
study to understand more about the women who are newly diagnosed
with breast cancer so the health plan can determine better ways to
communicate with them and their physicians in an attempt to
diminish the disparities.
The HealthCore study also found that not all women who tested
positive for hormone receptor cancer received anti-estrogen
therapy, which is a standard of care set by guidelines established
by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and the American
Cancer Society. Of those women who did test positive, white women
were more likely than African-American women to receive
anti-estrogen therapy.
Specifically, the study found:
- White women (55.2 percent) were more likely than African-
American women (38.4 percent) to be diagnosed with stage 0 or stage
I disease.
- Twice as many African-American women (6.1 percent) compared
with white women (3.6 percent) were diagnosed with stage IV
disease.
- Among women who tested positive for hormone receptor cancer,
African-American women were less likely to receive treatment, such
as aromatase inhibitors or tamoxifen.
- White women were twice as likely to receive anti-estrogen
therapy compared with African-American women, after adjusting for
age, cancer stage, and social economic status.
"While treatment for depression and anxiety occurred in both
groups, less than half of those women had notes in their medical
charts to follow-up with their primary care physician and only one
women was referred to a mental health professional," said Dr. Otis
Brawley, chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society and
study co-author. "Clearly, this is a health intervention needed for
both African-American and white women."
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