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Minorities have poorer liver cancer survival rate

Category: Liver Diseases

African Americans who have shown signs of early stage liver cancer may benefit from liver testing. A new study has found that members of this demographic are significantly more likely to die from the disease.

Researchers from the University of Michigan looked at survival rates for various diseases among different groups. They found that 18 percent of white patients were still alive five years after diagnosis. However, only 12 percent of black patients made it to the five-year mark.

Furthermore, the researchers found that African Americans were more likely to be diagnosed with the disease at a later stage when it is less treatable. This suggests that they aren't receiving frequent enough liver testing.

"Liver cancer requires highly complex care that is available only in larger referral hospitals. Our study suggests that not only do members of different racial and ethnic groups face barriers to accessing this care, but the survival of blacks and Hispanics even after receiving these treatments appears to be inferior to whites," said Christopher Sonnenday, who led the study.