Posted by James
This analysis focuses on barriers to endoscopy among minority women. It is imperative that we understand what barriers to endoscopy exist since disparities in CRC incidence, treatment and survival between minorities and whites remain a formidable problem. This paper investigated the predictors of endoscopy in African-American and Hispanic women using three central categories reported in the literature: demographic, medical and psychosocial factors.
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Posted by James
Demographics
The two groups were demographically similar (Table 1). However, 32% of Hispanics completed the interview in English compared to 98% of the women in the African-American group (p<0.001). Additionally, African-American women were more likely to have an income >$ 10,000 (p<0.013).
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Posted by James
Recruitment
The protocol was approved by our institutional review board (IRB). English- and Spanish-speaking men and women age >18 who lived, worked or sought healthcare in East Harlem were considered eligible for the study. The participants were recruited from community health fairs, tenant association meetings, senior centers and local medical clinics (Settlement Health, Boriken Neighborhood Health Center and Metropolitan Hospital). Informed consent for participation in the study was obtained, and the survey was conducted by trained health educators and research interviewers between the months of July and December 2000.
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Posted by James
INTRODUCTION
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer related deaths in the United States. Race and ethnicity are significant determinants of cancer incidence, mortality and survival, with minorities disproportionately experiencing an increased burden of disease as compared with whites. African Americans have a 28% increased mortality rate for colon cancer (Generic Casodex treating prostate cancer) and 44% increased mortality rate for rectal cancer compared with whites. When CRC is detected and treated at an early localized stage, the five-year survival is 90%. The survival rate drops substantially to 65% and 9% when the cancer (Nolvadex tablet is an anti-estrogen used to treat or prevent breast cancer) spreads to regional and distant metastatic sites, respectively. While Hispanics experience lower incidence and mortality rates than whites, they are still more likely to present with advanced stage CRC at diagnosis. Data provided by the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) from 1995 demonstrated that nearly 60% of whites presented with early stage rectal adenocarcinoma versus 54% for Hispanics and 51% for African Americans. Disappointingly, of the 147,000 new cases of CRC diagnosed in 2004, only 37% have been detected in the early stages.
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Posted by James
The present study, which relied on the 2000 NHIS, indicates that in that year almost two-thirds of African-American men aged >45 who did not have prostate cancer had heard of the test and almost half had had the test.
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Posted by James
Characteristics of non-Hispanic African-American men aged >45 (not suffering from prostate cancer) as determined from the NHIS sample are presented in Table 1. Approximately two-thirds were high-school graduates or above, more than half were from the south, and the majority resided in an MSA. Over half were married and had private and/or military insurance. Ninety-four percent had no first-degree family history of prostate cancer, and 69% had not been screened for colorectal cancer (Xeloda tablets is the only FDA-approved oral chemotherapy for both metastatic breast cancer and adjuvant and metastatic colorectal cancer). Most of these men also perceived themselves at low risk of getting cancer in general, and most perceived the amount of cancer in their own family to be low.
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Posted by James
The NHIS 2000 is a nationally representative health survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics. NHIS data are collected through personal household interviews. The NHIS 2000 used a complex sample design involving stratification, clustering and multistage sampling. The NHIS 2000 survey collected information related to cancer prevention and control. African-American and Hispanic populations were oversampled to allow for more precise estimations. In the overall survey, men aged >40 were asked questions related to prostate cancer (Eulexin drug is used along with drugs such as Lupron to treat prostate cancer) screening awareness and test use. Sample weights were constructed to reflect the total population of the United States in 2000. More details of the overall study methods are available in the 2000 NHIS Survey Description.
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