Racial and Ethnic Differences in Breast Cancer Patients: A Study for Michigan and California

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer death for women. Disparities in patient survival should be investigated to improve treatment and prevention methods. The SEER cancer registries have collected most of the breast cancer data for Michigan and California compared to other states. It is important to discern whether there are racial and ethnic differences in age of diagnosis and survival times for the breast cancer patients. Therefore, this study examines variations in age of diagnosis and survival time for breast cancer patients in California and Michigan for four ethnic populations: White Hispanics, White non-Hispanics, Black Hispanics, and Black non-Hispanics.