Jewish ethnicity and Black race: Contrasting influences on the prognosis of breast cancer

• Published in: Journal of surgical oncology Vol. 87; no. 2; pp. 61 - 67
• Main Authors: Donegan, William L., Tjoe, Judy A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01-08-2004
• Subjects: African-American; Black; Black or African American; Black People - statistics & numerical data; breast cancer; Breast Neoplasms - epidemiology; Breast Neoplasms - ethnology; Breast Neoplasms - mortality; Breast Neoplasms - pathology; ethnicity; Female; Humans; Jewish; Jews - statistics & numerical data; Neoplasm Staging; Prognosis; Prospective Studies; race; Survival Rate; United States - epidemiology; White People - statistics & numerical data; United States
• ISSN: 0022-4790; 1096-9098
• DOI: 10.1002/jso.20060

Background and Objectives
For reasons that are incompletely understood, race and ethnicity are associated with differing mortality from breast cancer. This investigation was undertaken to evaluate racial and ethnic influences on survival of women with breast cancers and to identify influential factors.
Methods
A population of 766 racially and ethnically defined women with newly diagnosed invasive breast cancers in a clinical practice were prospectively evaluated and observed on a continuing basis. Survivals were compared with multiple demographic and clinicopathologic variables.
Results
Compared to White, non‐Jewish patients, no significant difference was found in survival of Jewish patients. Stage of cancers at diagnosis and measures of tumor biology were also comparable. By contrast, the survival of Black patients was significantly worse than that of White patients. Advanced tumor stage at diagnosis, unfavorable tumor biology and poor ancillary health all appeared to contribute to the poor survival of Black women.
Conclusion
No adverse influence of Jewish ethnicity was found on the prognosis of breast cancer. The poor prognosis of Black women compared to White women appeared to be the result of multiple untoward influences. J. Surg. Oncol. 2004;87:61–67. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.