Study: Race is a factor in cancer therapy

Davis, Calif. -- U.S. cancer scientists have found significant racial and ethnic differences in the treatment and survival of patients suffering soft-tissue sarcomas.

Researchers said their study marks the first time racial and ethnic disparities have been found involving people with soft-tissue sarcomas -- rare but dangerous cancers in muscle, fat or other body tissue.

While surgery is the standard treatment, amputation is seldom necessary since radiation can preserve limbs in most cases. However, the research showed that is not the case for all patients.

Dr. Steve Martinez of the University of California-Davis Cancer Center and Dr. Anthony Robbins of the California Cancer Registry identified 4,636 whites, 663 blacks, 696 Hispanics and 411 Asians treated for soft-tissue cancers between 1988 and 2003.

They found black patients had significantly lower rates of surgeries, the highest rates of amputations and a 39 percent higher death rate related to their disease than whites.

Asians were most likely to undergo limb-sparing procedures, while Hispanics had higher rates of amputation compared with whites.

"We need to take a close look at the factors that lead to worse results for one population when compared to others," Martinez said.

The study is to be reported in the journal Cancer.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.