Cultural Differences Stand In Way Of Cancer Screenings

Cancer screening procedures are improving every year, and they're detecting all different types of cancer earlier in more people.

But a new study by the University of California-Los Angeles Center for Health Policy Research found that cancer screening among California adults varies greatly depending on race and ethnicity.

The differences aren't just related to income and health insurance; even when those factors are equal among racial and ethnic groups, factors such as culture, education and language stand in the way of cancer screenings.

The UCLA report was based on data from the 2001 California Health Interview Survey and funded by The California Endowment. Researchers examined screening rates for cervical, breast, colorectal and prostate cancer among whites, Latinos, Asians, blacks, American Indians, and Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders.

"Clearly, targeting investment wisely toward the specific racial and ethnic groups most at risk remains a necessary step to save lives in California and reduce the burden of late-stage cancer care on the state's health care system," said Susan Babey, a researcher at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

Screening saves lives by detecting cancer or premalignancies at a time when treatment typically is most successful. Five-year survival rates for breast, prostate, colorectal and cervical cancer rise above 90 percent if the tumor is discovered before it spreads to other parts of the body.

Once a tumor is metastasized, survival rates drop to 34 percent for prostate cancer, 23 percent for breast cancer, 15 percent for cervical cancer and 9 percent for colorectal cancer.