Study Identifies Disparities in Lung Cancer Treatment

African Americans, Hispanics and those who receive care at a community hospital are all significantly less likely than other patients to receive treatment for early stage non-small cell lung cancer, according to a report in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology. - See more at: http://news.uic.edu/race-hospital-insurance-status-all-factors-in-how-lung-cancer-is-treated#sthash.KaXXeV3B.dpuf

African Americans, Hispanics and those who receive care at a community hospital are all significantly less likely than other patients to receive treatment for early stage non-small cell lung cancer, according to a report in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology. - See more at: http://news.uic.edu/race-hospital-insurance-status-all-factors-in-how-lung-cancer-is-treated#sthash.KaXXeV3B.dpuf

African Americans, Hispanics and those who receive care at a community hospital are all significantly less likely than other patients to receive treatment for early stage non-small cell lung cancer, according to a report in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology.

“We found significant disparities for treatment of a curable cancer based on race, insurance status and whether or not treatment was at an academic or community hospital,” said Dr. Matthew Koshy, a physician in the department of radiation oncology at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, and lead author of the study. “Reducing these disparities could lead to significant improvements in survival for many people with inoperable early stage lung cancer.”

The study is the largest to date looking at treatment received by patients with stage 1 non-small cell lung cancer, an early stage of lung cancer that has not spread to the lymph nodes and is characterized by a small nodules in the lung tissue. Treatment during this early stage offers the best chance for long-term survival.

Link to the complete press release: http://bit.ly/1F0um93

Source: University of Illinois at Chicago