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Colon cancer rates drop more slowly among African Americans

Category: Colon

Fewer people are receiving positive blood tests for colon cancer today than at any point in the previous two decades, but the reductions in cancer rates have not benefited African Americans as much as Caucasians, according to a new study.

Researchers from the American Cancer Society found that cancer rates are dropping much more slowly among African Americans. They said the findings underscore the importance of making blood testing and other cancer detection procedures more available to members of this community.

For the study, the team examined information stored in a database maintained by the National Cancer Institute. The results showed that colon cancer mortality rates dropped by 30.3 percent over the course of the last two decades, while rate in African Americans only decreased by 13.2 percent.

The researchers said their findings underscore the point that more needs to be done to improve the accessibility of colon cancer screening among African Americans. The decreases seen in Caucasians show that it is possible to effectively treat the condition, but it appears these benefits are not finding their way to disadvantaged groups.