Black, Hispanic, Asian cervical cancer patients encounter delays in getting advanced radiation treatment

Black, Hispanic, and Asian cervical cancer patients encountered significant delays in receiving a more advanced, targeted form of radiation therapy during the years 2004 and 2017.

Traditional radiation often exposes organs next to the tumor to the full dose of radiation. However, a new form of radiation called intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) matches the precise contours of a tumor to minimize the dose to the surrounding healthy tissue. This allows for decreased side effects and improved quality of life.

However, IMRT brings a larger price tag, and many insurance companies require prior authorizations, which can introduce delays in treatment. Researchers analyzed the medical records of more than 350,000 patients and found that White patients were much less likely to experience these delays.

Compared with White cancer patients, Hispanic women were more than twice as likely to experience delays, Black women nearly twice as likely, and Asian women 50 percent more likely. 

“Our previous work demonstrated that racial and ethnic disparities in the use of IMRT exist and are actually worsening over time,” says radiation oncologist Ryan Hutten, MD, of the Huntsman Cancer Institute researcher at the University of Utah. “We know there are enormous consequences to treatment delays, and we know minority groups have inferior oncologic outcomes. This work helps to identify an actionable area to improve equity in delivery of advanced radiation treatments.”

• See: “New Research Shines Light on Racial Disparities in Cancer Treatment” by Drew Wiseman on the Univerisyt of Utah Health website (August 15, 2022)
• See the full text of the scientific paper “Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities in Delay to Initiation of Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy” by Ryan J. Hutten et al.