In a study of nearly 28,000 cases of endometrial cancer diagnosed in Florida during 2005 to 2016, Black women were far more likely to be diagnosed with type 2 endometrial cancer than Whites, Hispanics, and Asians. Black women were also more likely to die from type 2 endometrial cancer than other women.
A small number of endometrial cancers are type 2 endometrial cancer, which are more likely to grow and spread outside the uterus and have a poorer outlook than type 1 cancers. Doctors tend to treat these cancers more aggressively.
A preponderance of more aggressive endometrial cancer types seems to be a common feature among Black women of different origins, the researchers pointed out. High death rates from endometrial cancer have been noted across all populations of African descent in the U.S., including U.S.-born African Americans, Caribbean-born Blacks and African-born Blacks.
Yet, little is known regarding histology-specific risk factors for these more aggressive type 2 subtypes, and to what extent these may, in fact, constitute different disease entities. “Currently, all type 2 subtypes follow relatively similar treatment regimens, despite remarkably different outcomes as shown in this study. This lack of differentiated treatment is further aggravating disparities for Blacks,” the researchers concluded.
See the full text of the scientific paper “The role of histology on endometrial cancer survival disparities in diverse Florida” by Ariana L. Johnson et al.
