Did you know that Diversity in Clinical Trials Reduces Health Disparities? Lung cancer is the top cause of cancer-related mortality in both men and women, while being the second most frequent disease in both. The American Cancer Society predicts 130,000 lung cancer deaths this year.
That’s actually wonderful news, believe it or not. “The number of new lung cancer cases continues to decline. “There’s also a drop in lung cancer fatalities,” said Yewande Odeyemi, M.D., a pulmonologist from Rochester, Minnesota, during a Precision Oncology symposium in Atlanta last month.
She attributes the reduced lung cancer incidence and mortality rates to people quitting smoking along with quicker identification of the disease. Our family physician Flossmoor health experts can diagnose lung cancer in its early stages and provide treatment to patients.
Unfortunately, inequities in health still remain. Black males are more likely to acquire lung cancer and die from it.
In fact, black men are 15 percent to 37 percent more likely than white men to acquire lung cancer. Our guys have a 5-year survival rate of around 15%, compared to around 12% for white men. This is attributable to a number of variables, including:
- Black men have late-stage lung cancer more often..
- Less likely to get advised therapy.
- They have a higher likelihood of refusing therapy.
Prevention is the key to changing these figures.
Blacks thrive in smoking prevention and cessation. Dr. Odeyemi stated, “The black smoking decrease is impressive.” Studies and data indicate that black men are afraid to seek prophylactic treatment due to illness apprehension.
When lung cancer can’t be prevented, early detection is key. This includes lung cancer screening, which allows doctors to detect lung cancer at an early stage and tailor a treatment strategy to each patient. 2020 may see surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, targeted treatment, or immunotherapy.
There have been so many clinical studies in the recent decade. Lung cancer now has excellent therapy options. We may target lung cancer in a novel method, using drugs that aid the immune system in fighting the disease.
In reality, new drugs are developed on a regular basis. The National Institutes of Health has expanded funding for lung cancer research during the previous two decades. Just for lung cancer, there are approximately 1,000 clinical studies available.
With such low survival rates, it goes without saying that there are likely to be significant health inequalities in access to clinics that offer these novel medicines. “We discovered that black patients were just 78 percent as likely to obtain therapy as their white counterparts,” she stated. According to the paper, “our data also suggest that black males are underrepresented in lung cancer therapy trials.”
What can we do to reduce inequalities? “Would you like to raise awareness?” This translates to:
- More patients should be informed about lung cancer screening.
- Continue to discuss quitting smoking with our loved ones. Secondhand exposure is important. It’s not about you smoking, but about others who do.
- Improve public knowledge of sophisticated treatment alternatives, including targeted therapy and immunotherapy.
- Raising awareness about clinical trial participation can help us develop treatments that take into account the distinctive characteristics of black males.
The new drugs, both immunological and targeted, should be authorized with the specific peculiarities of black guys in mind. Health inequalities will persist without this consideration. If you’re a concerning black man and want answers contact family practice near me or us at (708)480-9730. Also if you’re black and have concerns regarding colon cancer visit our site and read our article about how Blacks More Are Likely to Die From Colon Cancer Than Whites.
One Response