Black Women Face Alarmingly High Early Death Rates from Gynecologic Cancers.

The extensive study reveals that 4.7% of women experienced early death, but Black women faced significantly higher rates across different gynecologic cancers.

A comprehensive study led by Dr. Matthew W. Lee of the University of Southern California and his team has uncovered disparities in early death rates among women with gynecologic cancers, revealing that Black women face significantly higher risks.

The study, published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, defined early death as mortality within two months of diagnosis and analyzed data from over 461,000 women between 2000 and 2020. It found that 4.7% of women experienced early death, with rates varying significantly across cancer types: 10.5% for tubo-ovarian cancer, 5.5% for vaginal cancer, 2.9% for cervical cancer, 2.5% for uterine cancer, and 2.4% for vulvar cancer. The racial disparities were particularly stark. For tubo-ovarian cancer, the early death rate was 14.5% among Black women compared to 6.4% among Asian women. Similar patterns emerged for uterine cancer (4.9% for Black women vs. 1.6% for Asian women) and cervical cancer (3.8% for Black women vs. 1.8% for Hispanic women).

“Research over the past two decades consistently shows persistent disparities in diagnosis, treatment, and survival rates for uterine, tubo-ovarian, and cervical cancers,” noted Dr. Lee and his colleagues, as reported by Healio. They attributed these disparities to a complex interplay of factors, including healthcare access, socioeconomic conditions, and potential biological differences.

The comprehensive study also showed some improvements over time. From 2000-2002 to 2018-2020, early death rates for tubo-ovarian cancer decreased across all racial groups: from 17.4% to 11.8% for Black women, 12.3% to 9.5% for white women, 8.9% to 6.3% for Hispanic women, and 7.4% to 5.2% for Asian women.

The findings revealed that about 5% of women diagnosed with gynecologic cancers died within just 60 days of their diagnosis. However, significant disparities persist. The researchers emphasized that these results “highlight a pervasive inequality in overall survival that extends to early death.” They called for further investigation into the root causes of these disparities and stressed the urgent need for targeted interventions to address racial and ethnic inequalities in gynecologic cancer outcomes.