Blacks Diagnosed with Colon Cancer at Younger Age

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - African-Americans are more susceptible to colon cancer at an earlier age than are whites, new study findings suggest, but they are also more likely to have tumors that respond well to treatment if caught early.

Dr. Emmanuel Akinyemi and his associates reviewed the medical records of 177 patients with colorectal cancer treated at Coney Island Hospital in Brooklyn, which, according to Akinyemi, serves a multi-ethnic population.

The team reported their findings this week at the annual meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology.

"There were no major differences based on gender," the researcher said. However, "the mean age at presentation was 69 years for Caucasians, but only 63 years for African-Americans," he added.

"This reinforces the new guidelines that advise screening African Americans starting at age 45," Akinyemi pointed out

The investigators also found that 42 percent of the bowel cancers in African-Americans were a type that tends to not be very aggressive. He stressed the importance of screening at an early age, because when these tumors are detected early "the prognosis may be very good."