Racial differences in the anatomical distribution of colon cancer
C. R. Thomas Jr, R. Jarosz and N. Evans
Department of Medicine, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle 98195.
The objective of this study was to determine whether racial differences
exist with regard to the anatomical distribution of adenocarcinoma of the
colon. We conducted a retrospective study of consecutive patients with
primary colon cancer seen during a 12-year period (1976 to 1987) identified
by the Rush Tumor Registry. The setting was a large, tertiary-care, private
medical center, located in the inner city of Chicago, Ill. A chi 2 unpaired
Student's t test of association was performed to detect any statistically
significant difference in the anatomical sites of distribution between
blacks and whites. A statistically significant percentage of black patients
had proximally located primary colon lesions compared with white patients.
This observation was independent of the actual anatomical definition of
right-sided or proximal colon lesions. These findings suggest that a
significant percentage of black and white patients are less likely to be
diagnosed with colon cancer at a more curable stage, when abiding by the
current screening guidelines of the American Cancer Society and the
National Cancer Institute. The impact is greater on black patients with
adenocarcinoma of the colon.
