Discoveries
Lower rate of lung cancer surgery among black patients due partly to communication problems, study finds
Christopher Lathan, MD, explored racial disparities in lung cancer.
Even when they have equal access to specialized care, blacks with potentially curable lung cancer are about half as likely as whites to undergo surgery that could save their lives, according to research by Dana-Farber investigators.
In a study led by Christopher Lathan, MD, black patients were somewhat less likely to be offered lung cancer surgery, and were slightly more likely to refuse it than were whites. The findings may point to a subtle and complex communication problem between physicians and black patients, Lathan says. "There was no specific reason that could be found [for the racial disparity], but there needs to be more attention paid to the doctor-patient interaction," he says.
The generally poorer health of blacks and other racial minorities in this country is often blamed on social and financial obstacles to obtaining medical care. The new study, however, documents that the lower rate of surgery for black lung cancer patients "is not just about access to care or not being physically able to undergo treatment," says the paper's senior author, Craig Earle, MD, of Dana-Farber.
The study didn't address cultural factors, but Lathan notes that some blacks might be mistrustful of the medical system and less aware of the potential benefits of surgery. Also, physicians may be less inclined to try to persuade reluctant black patients to strongly consider surgery, particularly if those individuals lack good social support during recovery. He urges all patients to "make sure they're getting all the resources they need, even if it means challenging their physicians a little bit."
