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NEW YORK, Oct 12, 2005 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Columbia University Medical Center researchers say black women with stage I or II breast cancer are less likely than whites to finish chemotherapy treatment.
The scientists say their findings shed light on why African-American breast cancer patients experience lower survival rates than other women, despite a lower incidence.
"This study is the first to correlate early termination of chemotherapy with racial disparities in breast cancer outcomes," said Dr. Dawn Hershman, assistant professor of medicine and epidemiology and the study's lead investigator.
Hershman and colleagues analyzed data of 472 stage I and II breast cancer patients at the Henry Ford Health System, a large Detroit-area healthcare provider, between 1996 and 2001.
The investigators determined women who discontinued treatment were more likely to be black and more likely to die than those who completed full chemotherapy cycles.
The researchers found 68 percent of black patients -- compared with 76 percent of white patients -- completed all prescribed cycles of chemotherapy.
Issues believed to be factors in poor compliance among black women include inadequate physician-patient communication, poor social-support networks, treatment toxicity and racial differences in drug metabolism.
The research is detailed in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
URL: www.upi.com
Copyright 2005 by United Press International
