A new study has revealed stark racial and ethnic disparities in treatment for older Americans with metastatic cancers, highlighting persistent inequities in care. Researchers examined more than 22,000 Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries diagnosed between 2016 and 2020 with advanced breast, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancers.The analysis found that although most patients saw an oncologist within two months of diagnosis, fewer Black and Hispanic patients received systemic therapies compared with white patients. For breast cancer, 59 percent of Black patients and 60 percent of Hispanic patients began treatment, compared with 68 percent of white patients. Similar gaps appeared across other cancers: only…
Author: Disparity Matters
A new study reveals that salivary uric acid—a stress-related biomarker—is linked to accelerated cellular aging among African Americans, particularly younger adults and men. Researchers found that higher levels of uric acid were associated with shorter telomere length, a marker of biological aging and risk for age-related diseases.The study, published in Psychoneuroendocrinology, examined how age and gender intersect to shape health outcomes within the African American community. “Among men, uric acid consistently predicted shorter telomeres regardless of discrimination exposure,” the authors noted, suggesting a direct biological vulnerability. In contrast, the relationship among women was more complex: uric acid predicted longer telomeres…
A new national study reveals that racial and ethnic minorities are far more likely than white patients to report discrimination while receiving medical care. Researchers from Georgia Southern University analyzed responses from more than 6,000 adults in the 2022 Health Information National Trends Survey and found that one in twelve Americans said they had been treated unfairly in health care because of their race or ethnicity.The disparities were stark. Black patients had over seven times higher odds of reporting discrimination compared with whites. Hispanics were more than three times as likely, and Asian Americans nearly six times as likely, to…
A new study reveals that Pennsylvania’s insurance criteria for supplemental breast cancer screening may unintentionally disadvantage Black women. The law covers women with extremely dense breasts or heterogeneously dense breasts plus a high lifetime risk of breast cancer. But these criteria rely on models and assessments that underestimate risk in Black women.Researchers analyzed over 68,000 mammograms and found that only 2.1% of Black women had extremely dense breasts, compared to 5.8% of White women. Just 0.7% of Black women had a lifetime breast cancer risk over 20%, versus 6.4% of White women. As a result, Black women were far less…
A new study reveals that residents of historically redlined neighborhoods face significantly slower emergency medical service (EMS) response times—an inequity with life-threatening consequences. Published in JAMA Network Open, the research mapped EMS centers across 236 U.S. cities and compared them to 1930s Home Owners’ Loan Corporation maps, which labeled majority-Black areas as “hazardous” for investment. The findings are stark: roughly 7% of residents in D-graded neighborhoods lack rapid EMS access, defined as a response time of five minutes or less. In contrast, only 4% of residents in A-graded, predominantly white neighborhoods face the same delay. In the Great Lakes region,…
Living in a resource-poor neighborhood may significantly increase a woman’s risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), according to new research from the University of Arizona. The study examined over 480,000 births across 15 counties and found that women in deprived areas were 20% more likely to develop GDM—a condition with long-term health consequences for both mother and child. Researchers used the Neighborhood Deprivation Index, which factors in housing quality, violence, education, access to healthy food, and poverty. “Where you live can influence your health,” said Melissa Furlong, Ph.D., senior author of the study. “It can impact stress, access to…
Endometrial (uterine cancer) is rising faster than clinical tools can keep pace, and the consequences are falling most heavily on Black women. A Medscape Medical News report warns that incidence and mortality from uterine cancer are projected to climb sharply through 2050, with Black women experiencing a far steeper increase than White women in both new cases and deaths.Jason Wright, MD, a gynecologic oncologist at Columbia University, said both incidence and mortality have increased over recent years, a trend that sets uterine cancer apart from most other malignancies. “That’s particularly true in Black women who are seeing a much higher…
Early-onset lung cancer (EOLC), defined as occurring in adults under 50, is rising sharply across Asia, accounting for nearly 76% of global cases. This surge is especially pronounced in countries like China, India, and Indonesia, where air pollution and genetic susceptibility intersect to create a troubling health disparity.Women are disproportionately affected, often presenting with adenocarcinoma and advanced-stage disease. “Females were found to be at greater risk compared to males,” noted a Korean cohort study. Many of these patients are never-smokers, yet they carry a high burden of genetic mutations, including EGFR, ALK, ROS1, and RET fusions. In younger patients, 88%…
A comprehensive study examining lupus-related deaths across two decades has uncovered deeply troubling disparities in where patients spend their final days, revealing inequities that reflect broader failures in healthcare access and end-of-life planning for minority communities.Researchers analyzed 3,937 lupus deaths between 1999 and 2020, finding that American Indian and Alaska Native patients were over three times more likely to die at home or in hospice compared to Black patients. These disparities are particularly concerning because home and hospice deaths are generally considered preferable to institutional settings, offering better symptom control, greater dignity, and alignment with patient-centered priorities.While lupus predominantly affects…
A new study sheds light on why Black Americans face higher risks of cognitive decline and dementia than their White peers—and it’s not about how mentally demanding their jobs were. Instead, it’s about the social advantages that come with higher-status occupations. Researchers from the University of Michigan and other institutions analyzed data from over 500 older adults in the Michigan Cognitive Aging Project. They found that Black participants were significantly less likely to have held high-status jobs, and this occupational gap explained up to 7% of the racial disparities in memory and thinking skills. “Occupation may influence cognitive disparities primarily…