Whites at greatest risk for rare bone cancer
Key points
- Whites in the United States are nine times more likely than blacks to get Ewing's sarcoma, a rare cancer of the bone and soft tissue, U.S. researchers said on Monday.
- They said among whites who get the hard-to-treat cancer, men are more likely to die from it than women.
- Earlier studies have hinted that racial differences may play a role in the rates of Ewing's sarcoma, which usually strikes during puberty, when bones are growing rapidly.
- Sean Scully of the University of Miami analyzed patient information from a large National Cancer Institute registry of cancer statistics in the United States.
Whites in the United States are nine times more likely than blacks to get Ewing's sarcoma, a rare cancer of the bone and soft tissue, U.S. researchers said on Monday.
They said among whites who get the hard-to-treat cancer, men are more likely to die from it than women.
Earlier studies have hinted that racial differences may play a role in the rates of Ewing's sarcoma, which usually strikes during puberty, when bones are growing rapidly.
To confirm that race plays a role, Dr. Sean Scully of the University of Miami analyzed patient information from a large National Cancer Institute registry of cancer statistics in the United States.
They identified individuals diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma from 1973 to 2005 and analyzed various patient- and cancer-related characteristics.
They found that whites had the highest incidence of Ewing's sarcoma, with a rate of 155 cases per 100,000 people.
That was followed by Asians/Pacific Islanders, with 82 cases per 100,000, and blacks, with 17 cases per 100,000 people.
The reasons for these racial and gender differences are not clear, Scully's team reported in the journal Cancer.
They said more studies identifying the causes of these differences could lead to improved treatments for patients.
CHICAGO (Reuters)
Written and revised by
Gerald Hurowitz, M.D.
Our doctors write and review articles for accuracy and keep them up to date.
health.am provides general information, not medical advice. Always consult a qualified health professional about your own health.
Explore health topics
More in this topic
Cancer →
NewsMore men at risk for prostate cancer as a result of less regular screening
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation against regular prostate specific antigen (PSA) screening for prostate cancer is controversial. While it may reduce the risk of over diagnosis and…
23 September 2015
NewsIRB Barcelona identifies the gene responsible for metastasis of breast cancer to the bone
This discovery has been patented and transferred to Inbiomotion, a spin off from the IRB Barcelona and ICREA, founded at the end of 2010. Inbiomotion, led by the venture investor Ysios Capital, has developed the…
17 September 2015
NewsNearly half of testicular cancer risk comes from inherited genetic faults
Almost half of the risk of developing testicular cancer comes from the DNA passed down from our parents, a new study reports. The research suggests genetic inheritance is much more important in testicular cancer than in…
