Black patients wait longer for diagnosis, treatment of colorectal cancer, new study finds

By Anastassia Gliadkovskaya Mar 1, 2022 12:45pmKomodo Health

cancer newspaper — “Treatment delays may lead to worse outcomes from disease and cause unnecessary emotional and medical stressors to an already vulnerable population,” a new study noted. (PDPics/Pixabay)

Black patients wait longer for diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer than their white counterparts do, a new study has revealed.

The analysis was conducted by Komodo Health and BLKHLTH. Using Komodo’s database of anonymized U.S. patient data, the companies looked at Black and white patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer between the start of 2019 and the end of August 2020. Researchers tracked time between diagnosis and first treatment as well as chemotherapy or surgeries for a year after diagnosis. Data on uninsured patients was not analyzed.

Among patients who sought chemo or surgery, Black patients waited an average of eight days longer (67 days post-diagnosis) than white patients (59 days post-diagnosis). Black patients were also more likely (6.8%) to experience 60 or more days of delayed treatment after diagnosis. In total, more than a third of Black patients experienced this delay.

Read More: https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/providers/black-patients-wait-longer-diagnosis-treatment-colorectal-cancer-komodo-finds