Premium
Life‐Threatening Disparities: The Treatment of Black and White Cancer Patients
Author(s) -
Penner Louis A.,
Eggly Susan,
Griggs Jennifer J.,
Underwood Willie,
Orom Heather,
Albrecht Terrance L.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of social issues
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.618
H-Index - 122
eISSN - 1540-4560
pISSN - 0022-4537
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-4560.2012.01751.x
Subject(s) - health equity , prostate cancer , white (mutation) , medicine , race (biology) , cancer , breast cancer , cancer treatment , gerontology , demography , public health , nursing , sociology , biochemistry , chemistry , gene , gender studies
Cancer mortality and survival rates are much poorer for Black patients than for White patients. We argue that Black–White treatment disparities are a major reason for these disparities. We examine three specific kinds of Black–White treatment disparities: disparities in information exchange in oncology interactions, disparities in the treatment of breast cancer, and disparities in the treatment of clinically localized prostate cancer. In the final section, we discuss possible causes of these disparities, with a primary focus on communication within medical interactions and the role that race‐related attitudes and beliefs may play in the quality of communication in these interactions.