A new study reveals that Hispanic non-small cell lung cancer patients in South Florida are diagnosed at earlier stages compared to their counterparts in other parts of Florida. This finding, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, suggests that community demographics may play a crucial role in addressing cancer disparities.
Researchers examined lung cancer staging across Florida, finding that racial and ethnic minorities are generally diagnosed at later stages than white patients. However, this disadvantage disappears for most Hispanic populations in South Florida.
Dr. Paulo Pinheiro, the study’s lead researcher from Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, attributes this to South Florida’s unique demographics. “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 explained.
The study analyzed data from 2005 to 2018, comparing South Florida counties to the rest of the state. Outside South Florida, Hispanic patients were 12% more likely to receive advanced-stage diagnoses compared to white patients. In South Florida, however, these rates were nearly equal.
Dr. Qinran Liu, the study’s first author, suggested that better cultural alignment between patients and physicians in South Florida could explain this difference. “It’s not only a shared language, but increased patient trust that could lead to earlier diagnoses and possibly to better outcomes,” she said.
These findings highlight the importance of diversity in healthcare and community-specific approaches to addressing health disparities.
See: “South Florida’s Hispanic communities see fewer late-stage lung cancer diagnoses” (August 26, 2024)
