A new analysis has found that Hispanic lung cancer patients are at a survival advantage over white or black patients. The study suggests that, along with several other types of cancer, certain undefined genetic and/or environmental factors allow Hispanic patients with lung cancer to live longer than patients of other ethnicities. Results were published April 23 online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.
To compare the survival of Hispanic patients with other ethnicities after a lung cancer diagnosis, a team of researchers at the Miller School’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, led by Brian Lally, MD, assistant professor of radiation oncology, and Ali Saeed, an MD/PhD candidate, investigated patient information from the Survival, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database.
Adult patients diagnosed with any stage of non–small cell lung cancer between 1988 and 2007 totaled 172,398. Investigators used data from these patients and discovered that, compared with white patients, Hispanic patients had a lower risk (15%) of death during the years of the study, whether they were born in the United States or not. “This is important because it shows that our findings are indicative of the Hispanic population in general and not specific to specific groups of Hispanics,” said Lally.
“Our findings will motivate researchers and physicians to understand why Hispanics have more favorable outcomes and may shed light on potential environmental factors and/or genetic factors that can explain our observations,” said Saeed.
Study results also showed Hispanics were more likely to develop bronchioalveolar carcinoma, which is not as life-threatening as other lung cancer types. This could be due to genetic predispositions and/or lower smoking rates, according to researchers.
A phenomenon known as the “Hispanic paradox” corresponds with the study results, noted Saeed. This occurs when Hispanics diagnosed with specific diseases tend to have more favorable outcomes despite reduced access to healthcare and higher poverty rates. This paradox is evident in breast cancer, prostate cancer, cardiovascular disease, and now non–small cell lung cancer.
Source: University of Miami.