ATLANTA - blacks and other minorities with cancer are more likely than whites to say that they spent all that they have on aggressive treatment that might extend their lives, a study found.
Researchers don't know why this is the case and not asked pas, but some believe it may reflect differences in beliefs about miracles, distrust of doctors among the minorities, and may be a poor understanding of end-of life how ugly and painful.
Approximately 80 percent of blacks said they were ready to use all the money to extend their lives, compared to 72% Asian, 69% of Hispanics and 54% of whites.
"It's interesting how far patients minority, particularly black patients, are ready to go to extend their life," said Ellen McCarthy, a researcher at Harvard University who has studied the racial disparities in cancer care but was not involved in the new study.
The findings, published online Tuesday by the journal Cancer was based on telephone surveys more of 4,100 persons newly diagnosed lung and colon cancer. About 17% of patients in cancer of the colon and 31 per cent of lung cancer patients were in the more advanced stages of their illness.
These two cancers were chosen because they are common and lethal when diagnosed in the later stages. Patients with cancer of the breast or prostate - the most common types among women and men, respectively - were not included, and it was unknown if their attitudes differed.
The cost of cancer care have exploded in recent years, with many treatments at a price of $100,000 or more adding sometimes only a few months of life.
Last days under aggressive treatment may be sad. Patients may have tubes in the nose and throat and be unable to eat or speak. They may be in pain or barely coherent.
"Some believe to be living in all circumstances is an absolute good, which suggests a underappreciation of loads and overappreciation care benefits extend life," said Holly Prigerson, another researcher from Harvard who heads a centre of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute that studies the social and psychological influences on cancer care.
The study asked: you want treatment extended your life as long as possible, even if it caused go you broke? Or you would opt for cheaper treatment which has not kept you live so long?
The researchers gave no aggressive example of what care - surgery or chemotherapy, example could - and did not specify how much more the patient might live.
The results revealed the racial differences even when other factors were taken into account.
For example, people with spouses and dependent children were generally less favourable than the single exhaust their financial resources for their care. But among these family people, blacks were more ready to go broken.
The same schema racial place regardless of how the patients were, their income and savings, the age, time since diagnosis and how long they thought they had left to live.
"It was surprising," said lead author Michelle Martin of the University of Birmingham in Alabama.
The study found black had more often an attitude "try". This seems to contradict previous studies that have indicated Blacks have a greater distrust of the medical system.
But mistrust might still be a factor. Perhaps a greater proportion of minorities worried that doctors could withhold care of them, and therefore they might seek the more aggressive, available options, McCarthy said.
Minorities tend to be diagnosed at later stages of cancer than whites. At least a study of patients with advanced cancer found that blacks who wanted intensive end of life care were less likely to receive only the whites with the same preference.
Faith may be another factor. The study did not assess participants how religious were, but other studies have shown that very ardent people tend to want and get treatment to prolong life, said Prigerson.
"Assert many religious patients, ' there is a higher authority than my physician.". God, not my doctors, decides if my time or not. "These patients believe that it is a demonstration of their faith to keep for as long possible to expect the granting of a miraculous healing of life,"she said."
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