Use of potentially life-saving cancer screening procedures among California adults varies dramatically depending on race and ethnicity, according to a new study by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

The differences-attributed to cultural, education, language and other barriers-persist even when comparing like income levels or health insurance status across racial and ethnic groups. Lower screening rates reduce the odds of early detection for hundreds of thousands of Californians and survival rates for those who contract cancer.

The report was based on data from the 2001 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS 2001) and funded by The California Endowment. Researchers examined screening rates for cervical, breast, colorectal and prostate cancer among whites, Latinos, Asians, blacks, American Indian/Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders.

"Our findings underscore the reality that racial and ethnic disparities in cancer screening and other important health services can be found even within similar socioeconomic groups, such as low-income families and Medi-Cal beneficiaries," said author Ninez A. Ponce, a center researcher and assistant professor of health services at the UCLA School of Public Health, and a member of the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at UCLA.

Screening saves lives by detecting cancer or pre-malignancies at a time when treatment typically is most successful. Five-year relative survival rates for breast, prostate, colorectal and cervical cancer rise above 90 percent if the tumor is discovered before it spreads to other parts of the body. Once a tumor is metastasized, survival rates drop to 34 percent for prostate cancer, 23 percent for breast cancer, 15 percent for cervical cancer and 9 percent for colorectal cancer.

The report includes detailed screening rates for the four cancers by 1) race/ethnicity alone, 2) income and race/ethnicity, and 3) Medi-Cal coverage and race/ethnicity. Among key findings in the report:
· Asians report lower rates of screening than whites for all four cancers.
· Latinos report lower screening rates than whites for breast, colorectal and prostate cancer.
· Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders consistently report some of the lowest screening rates in the state.
· American Indian and Alaska Natives are less likely to have been screened for breast or prostate cancer than whites.

The UCLA research team focused on the use of cancer screening tests among adults who have not been diagnosed with the site-specific cancer: Pap testing for cervical cancer; mammography for breast cancer; fecal occult blood test, colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy for colorectal cancer; and the PSA (prostate specific antigen) test for prostate cancer.

SOURCE:
University of California, Los Angeles (http://www.ucla.edu)