Black women less likely than White women to survive endometrial cancer even with equal medical care

In a study of nearly 1,600 women in the U.S. military, Black women diagnosed with endometrial cancer were 64 percent more likely to die from the cancer than White women, even though both groups received equal quality of health care. This disparity was confined to patients with low-risk cancer, defined as stage I/II disease or low-grade endometrial cancer, or those with no adjuvant treatment.

What might explain the poorer survival? “First, histologic subtype may vary among racial/ethnic groups,” explained the researchers. Previous studies have reported that Black women were more likely to be diagnosed with endometrial cancers which are more aggressive and have higher risks of recurrence, progression, and mortality.

• See “Racial Disparities Persist Among Women With Endometrial Cancers in Equal-Access Healthcare Systems” by Conor Killmurray on the Targeted Oncology website (October 14, 2021)
• See the abstract of the scientific paper “Racial disparities in survival among women with endometrial cancer in an equal access system” by Amie B. Park et al.