Ethnic disparity of treatment initiation in women diagnosed with breast cancer.

189 Background: Despite the major advances in early detection and treatment of breast cancer (BC), African American women, continued to have a higher mortality rates than Caucasians. Many studies have failed to identify a key factor to explain racial disparities in breast cancer outcome. These disparities persist even after controlling for insurance and socioeconomic settings. Data about delays in treatment initiation are limited and inconclusive. We intend to compare the time from diagnosis to the initiation of treatment between African American and Caucasian women diagnosed with BC in a single community-based cancer registry. Methods: Women aged 18 to 64 years with breast cancer were identified, between 1993 and 2009, using data from the Tumor Registry at Hurley Medical Center in Flint, Michigan. Patient’s characteristics obtained include age at diagnosis, race, stage, date of diagnosis, and date of treatment initiation. All patients were previously insured or became insured after diagnosis. Time from d...