The national cancer data base report on malignant epithelial ovarian carcinoma in African‐American women

BACKGROUND Epithelial ovarian carcinoma is the fifth most common cause of cancer death among African‐American women. Although the incidence rate of ovarian carcinoma for whites is higher than that for African Americans, the relative survival rate for African Americans is poorer. METHODS Data were cases submitted to the National Cancer Data Base for invasive epithelial tumors of the ovary diagnosed between 1985‐1988 and 1990‐1993. African‐American women with epithelial ovarian carcinoma were compared with non‐Hispanic white women with the same disease. The groups of white women with which African‐American women were compared were classified as "White‐same facility" and "White‐other facility." "White‐same facility" were white patients from hospitals that contributed a substantial proportion of African‐American patients. "White‐other facility" were white patients from hospitals that contributed few or no African‐American patients. No patient had a history of prior cancer. RESULTS African‐American women with advanced invasive epithelial ovarian carcinoma were less often treated with combined surgery and chemotherapy and more often treated with chemotherapy only. African‐American women were twice as likely as white women not to receive appropriate treatment. African‐American women had poorer survival rates than white women from the same or different hospitals, regardless of income. Among staged cases, African‐American women were more often diagnosed with Stage IV disease than either group of white women. CONCLUSIONS The current study findings show that African‐American women with advanced epithelial ovarian carcinoma received less aggressive treatment than white women and had a poorer prognosis. Cancer 1997; 80:816‐26. © 1997 American Cancer Society. African‐American women with malignant epithelial ovarian carcinoma had a poorer prognosis than non‐Hispanic white women. Racial survival rate differences persisted after controlling for age, income, disease status, and type of cancer care facility. African‐American women with advanced stage malignant epithelial ovarian carcinoma received less aggressive treatment than non‐Hispanic white women.