Fewer Black Men Get High-Tech Prostate Cancer Therapy

By Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, May 2, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Use of a high-tech radiation most cancers therapy referred to as proton beam remedy (PBT) has elevated total within the United States, however Black sufferers are getting it much less usually than white sufferers, two new research present.

Traditional radiation therapy is photon-based, however PBT makes use of protons to ship high-energy beams extra exactly to tumors and cut back harm to surrounding wholesome tissue.

PBT could be higher than conventional radiation remedy for tumors with advanced anatomy, tumors surrounded by delicate tissues and childhood cancers, however PBT could be twice as costly, in line with the American Cancer Society.

To assess the usage of PBT within the United States, researchers analyzed information on practically 6 million sufferers within the National Cancer Database. They discovered that total use of PBT for newly identified cancers rose from 0.4% in 2004 to 1.2% in 2018.

Private protection was the commonest sort of insurance coverage amongst sufferers handled with PBT for really helpful cancers, whereas Medicare was the commonest insurance coverage amongst sufferers handled with PBT for cancers for which the therapy’s efficacy remains to be underneath investigation.

The examine additionally discovered that Black sufferers had been much less more likely to be handled with PBT than white sufferers (0.3% vs. 0.5%), particularly for cancers for which PBT is really helpful over conventional radiation remedy.

In truth, this racial disparity widened because the variety of amenities providing PBT elevated, and the disparity didn’t disappear after the researchers accounted for socioeconomic standing or sort of medical insurance.

The research had been revealed within the journal JAMA Network Open.

“We discovered that PBT use elevated nationally between 2004 and 2018 for all eligible cancers, particularly for cancers for which PBT is the really helpful radiation therapy,” stated Leticia Nogueira, lead writer of each research. She is a senior principal scientist, well being companies analysis, on the American Cancer Society.

“Especially regarding, nonetheless, was our findings additionally confirmed racial disparities elevated as availability of PBT elevated within the U.S.,” Nogueira stated in a society information launch.

“Our findings, sadly, spotlight the truth that Black sufferers proceed to learn much less from advances in medication like PBT, even with elevated availability of really helpful therapy modalities,” Nogueira stated. “Efforts aside from rising the variety of amenities that present PBT will probably be wanted to eradicate these disparities.”

More info

There’s extra on proton beam remedy at Johns Hopkins Medicine.

SOURCE: American Cancer Society, April 27, 2022