, Columnist
Hospitals Are Shortchanging Black Cancer Patients
A new study finds racial disparities in colon cancer treatment.
A resident of Louisiana’s "Cancer Alley."
Photographer: Emily Kask/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
A new analysis from researchers at the American Cancer Society suggests that the distressing disparity in outcomes for Black and White colon cancer patients could narrow if hospitals simply treated all patients with the same level of high-quality care.
The disparity in rates and deaths from colorectal cancer among Black people has been a longstanding problem in cancer care. Black individuals are 20% more likely to be diagnosed with colon cancer and 40% more likely to die from it. They’re also more likely to be diagnosed at a younger age than their White counterparts.