A new study by researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center reveals that some lung cancer disparities among racial and ethnic groups are less pronounced in South Florida compared to the rest of the state. The research, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, examined non-small cell lung cancer staging across all patients in Florida, with a particular focus on Hispanic subpopulations.
The study found that while Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black patients tend to be diagnosed with lung cancer at later stages than White patients in most of Florida, this disadvantage disappears for Hispanic patients living in South Florida. The researchers attribute this finding to the region’s uniquely diverse community and higher proportion of Hispanic health care providers, which may improve access to care and patient trust.
Dr. Paulo Pinheiro, lead researcher and Associate Professor of Epidemiology at Sylvester, emphasized the importance of considering the context in which minorities live. “When you have a diverse population and a more diverse workforce that might be more in tune with the population in the sense of speaking the same language, having the same cultural context, then maybe we can have better outcomes,” he said.
The study analyzed data from the Florida Cancer Data System for patients diagnosed between 2005 and 2018. Outside of South Florida, Hispanic patients were 12% more likely to be diagnosed at advanced stages compared to White patients. However, in South Florida, Hispanic and White patients had nearly the same likelihood of advanced-stage diagnoses.
Dr. Qinran Liu, first author of the study, suggested that better cultural alignment between patients and physicians in South Florida could explain this difference. The findings highlight the potential impact of diverse healthcare workforces on reducing health disparities and improving patient outcomes.
See “Some Lung Cancer Disparities Lessen in South Florida” (August 23, 2024)
