A new report by a leading US cancer organization said that although progress in reducing the rate of new colorectal cancer cases and deaths is better than ever, the gap between blacks and whites is still growing, with the latest figures showing that among African Americans the death rates are about 45 per cent higher than among white Americans.
The new report, titled “Colorectal Cancer Facts & Figures 2008-2010”, from the American Cancer Society (ACS), is the second one since the first issue appeared in 2005.
Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer among Americans and the third biggest cause of cancer death in the US, where the ACS estimates that this year there will be about 148,810 people diagnosed with the disease and about 49,960 dead from it.
The ACS told the press in a statement to coincide with the new report, that most of these cases and deaths could be avoided if we used what we already know about the disease and made it easier and encouraged more people to have established screening tests.
Even though the rate of new cases and deaths is still falling in both white and black populations, they are nevertheless higher for blacks, among whom the rate of decline is also slower compared to whites. Indeed, the disparities have widened in the three years since the last issue of the report came out, said the ACS.
Dr Elizabeth “Terry” T.H. Fontham, national volunteer president of the American Cancer Society who is from Louisiana State University, told the press that:
“We’ve made remarkable progress in reducing death and suffering from colorectal cancer.”
“Tests we have right now allow doctors to detect this killer at its earliest, most treatable stage, or even prevent it altogether,” she explained.
“But as this report shows, there’s more work to be done to ensure all Americans have access to these lifesaving tests, and that those who do have access to the tests use them,” she added.
For example, in the 2005 report, the rate of new colorectal cancers diagnosed in white men was 63.1 per cent per 100,000 of the population, while among black men it was 72.9, giving an absolute disparity of 9.8. In the latest report, this disparity has gone up to 12.3 because the rate of new cases among white men has dropped by nearly 5 per cent to 58.9, while among black men it has only dropped 1.7 per cent to 71.2.
The report does however highlight some important achievements in the last three years:
- 10 more states have brought in laws giving full coverage for the complete range of screening tests for colorectal cancer, which means the total is now 26 states plus Washington DC.
- The proportion of colorectal cancers diagnosed earlier, before they have spread, has gone up among ethnic/racial groups, suggesting that screening is reaching more people in non-white populations.
- The FDA has approved a new targeted drug to treat colorectal cancer than has spread: the monoclonal antibody therapy drug panitumumab (Amgen’s Vectibix), which works by stopping the effects of hormones that encourage cancer cells to grow.
The new report has more information than the last issue, such as breakdown of new cases and death rates by sex, race and state in tabular and map formats. It also shows survival rates by race/ethnicity and insurance status, rates of screening by insurance status, and the most common drugs being used to treat colorectal cancer together with their side effects.
“Colorectal Cancer Facts & Figures 2008-2010.”
American Cancer Society, December 2008.
Sources: American Cancer Society.
Written by: Catharine Paddock, PhD