BDO is currently covering the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Meeting in Chicago, IL from June 1-June 3, 2024. Thank you so much for following along with our reporting and we’re looking forward to more for next year.
A clinical trial study presented at ASCO focused on a chemotherapy side effect called taxane-induced peripheral neuropathy (TIPN) in Black women with breast cancer. TIPN causes numbness, tingling, and pain in the hands and feet. Researchers already knew Black women experience more TIPN with a specific drug called paclitaxel (given weekly).
The study compared paclitaxel to another chemotherapy drug, docetaxel (given every 3 weeks), to see if docetaxel caused less TIPN in Black women. They also looked at genes that might influence TIPN risk, but these genes didn’t seem to have a major impact.
The findings suggest docetaxel may be a better choice than paclitaxel for Black women with early-stage breast cancer because it leads to less TIPN. This could be a significant step towards reducing disparities in breast cancer treatment for Black women. However, it’s important to note that the study only looked at Black women and more research is needed to confirm these results.
A study presented at ASCO investigated how chemotherapy side effects affect Black people differently than whites. They enrolled 1,000 patients with various cancers including multiple myeloma, breast, ovarian, or lung cancer and tracked their symptoms weekly through a mobile app. The most common side effects reported overall were fatigue, muscle pain, and anxiety. However, Black Americans were more likely to report muscle pain and general pain, while whites were more likely to report anxiety and cough. Overall, a similar proportion of Black Americans and white Americans (44% vs 45%) said that they were bothered by the side effects of treatment.
Since clinical trials often don’t have enough Black American participants, this study helps to fill in the gaps about how chemotherapy side effects affect us differently. The fact that fatigue was the most common symptom for everyone highlights the importance of managing this side effect so that patients can continue with their treatment. Doctors should also be aware of the racial differences in pain and anxiety so that they can provide the best possible care to their patients.
This study presented at ASCO examined a large group of women in the US with endometrial cancer, focusing on how race affected their survival rates. Black women had a lower chance of surviving the disease compared to white and Asian women, with Asians having the highest survival rate overall.
Researchers dug deeper to understand why this difference existed. They looked at factors like age at diagnosis, income level, cancer stage, and the type of treatment received. Age played a role, with women diagnosed after 60 having a poorer prognosis. Lower income was also linked to worse outcomes. But a crucial factor was the stage of the cancer when diagnosed. More advanced stages meant a lower chance of survival. Finally, the study found that surgery was the most effective treatment.
Here’s where race came into play again. Black women were more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage, have lower income, and receive less surgery compared to Asian women. These factors likely explain, at least in part, why Black women had a lower survival rate.
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