RACIAL DISPARITIES IN BRACHYTHERAPY ADMINISTRATION
September is Gynecological Cancer Awareness Month. This interesting article from Cancer Therapy Advisor that addresses racial disparities in brachytherapy administration and survival in women with locally advanced cervical cancer.
Using the National Cancer Database, this retrospective study identifies 16,116 women with locally advanced cervical cancer treated between 2004 and 2014. The study finds that black women were 13% less likely to receive brachytherapy, which is a type of radiation treatment where radioactive material is sealed in a small device (seed, wire or a pellet) and implanted in the body to kill nearby cancer cells. The study also finds that black women are less likely to complete radiation treatment within the recommended timeframe compared to non-black women. Moreover, black women have shorter survival rates (more than 1 year) than non-black women.
As we continue our conversation about biases and their impact on decision-making in pathology and on laboratory quality, I find this article to be an eye-opener to another form of bias that impacts patient care. Biases are cognitive systemic errors resulting in repeated patterns of thinking that lead to inaccurate or unreasonable conclusions.
Awareness of biases is the first step in addressing the issue. In the brachytherapy study, there is no doubt that economic factors and insurance coverage play a major role in this disparity. Hopefully, Gynecological Cancer Awareness Month would be an opportunity for the medical community at large to reflect on our own biases and how it impacts our care.
