LOS ANGELES -- Cancer death rates among African-American men
declined faster than those of white men in the last decade, even
though overall survival rates for black men and women remained
the lowest of all racial groups for most types of cancer,
according to a recent report. In a study published Tuesday in
CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, researchers found that
while the racial gap was closing for lung and smoking-related
cancers, as well as prostate cancer, the disparity between black
and white patients was widening for colorectal cancer and breast
cancer. "To the extent to which these disparities reflect
unequal access to healthcare versus other factors remains an
active area of research," wrote lead author Carol DeSantis, an
epidemiologist with the American Cancer Society. "Overall,
progress in reducing cancer death rates has been made, although
more can and should be done to accelerate this progress through
ensuring equitable access to cancer prevention, early detection,
and state-of-the-art treatmen