Top in women’s health: Racial disparities in cancer detection, early death rates

Rates of early death from gynecologic cancers were higher among Black women compared with women of other races and ethnicities, recent data show.

The largest disparity in early death was for tubo-ovarian cancer, with a 14.5% rate for Black women vs. a 6.4% rate for Asian women.

“Studies have repeatedly shown that disparities have persisted throughout the last 2 decades in diagnosis, treatment and survival among cases of uterine, tubo-ovarian and cervical cancers,” Matthew W. Lee, MD, an OB/GYN in the division of gynecologic oncology at the University of Southern California, and colleagues wrote. “Studies suggest that disparities are likely due to a multifactorial etiology of decreased survival in certain racial groups reflective of not only health care-specific factors, but also socioeconomic, environmental, systemic and even biologic factors.”

It was the top story in women’s health last week.

In another top story, researchers found that transvaginal ultrasonography is not a reliable strategy for identifying endometrial cancer in Black women.

Read these and more top stories in women’s health below:

Black women have substantially higher rates of early death from gynecologic cancers

Black women have higher rates of early death from tubo-ovarian, cervical and uterine cancers compared with women of other races and ethnicities, according to a study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Read more.

Transvaginal ultrasonography unreliable in identifying endometrial cancer for Black women

Transvaginal ultrasonography triage resulted in misclassification for more than one in 10 Black women, suggesting it is not a reliable strategy to identify Black women at risk for endometrial cancer, according to a diagnostic study published in JAMA Oncology. Read more.

Many women aware of importance, open to continuing breast cancer screening after age 75

Many women aged 75 years and older are aware of the importance of breast cancer screening and desire to continue screening regardless of health status or age, according to a scoping review published in BMC Women’s Health. Read more.

Lower long-term reintervention risk with myomectomy vs. other uterine fibroid procedures

Women treated for uterine fibroids had greater risks for long-term reintervention after uterine artery embolization, endometrial ablation and hysteroscopic myomectomy vs. abdominal, laparoscopic or vaginal myomectomy, researchers reported in Obstetrics & Gynecology. Read more.

Combat exposure tied to subsequent diagnosis of chronic pain among women in the military health system

Diagnoses of chronic pain increased significantly among U.S. active-duty servicewomen and civilian dependents during a time of heightened employment intensity in 2006 to 2013, according to data published in JAMA Network Open. Read more.