title: Pancreatic cancer disparities in African Americans.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. The incidence of pancreatic cancer in African Americans is 50% to 90% higher than the incidence in other racial groups. African Americans also have the worst prognosis. This is an evidence-based review of pancreatic cancer in African Americans with particular emphasis on baseline characteristics, treatment, and survival.
  
  
  METHODS
  We queried PubMed in search for articles describing racial disparities in pancreatic cancer. Two categories of terms were "anded" together: pancreatic cancer terms and race terms. The last search was performed on November 14, 2013.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We summarized the data on pancreatic cancer baseline characteristics, treatment, and survival for African Americans that we obtained from the following databases: (1) Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results, 1988-2008; (2) California Cancer Registry 1988-1998; (3) Cancer Survivor Program of Orange County/San Diego Imperial Organization for Cancer Control, 1988-1998; and (4) Harris County, 1998-2010.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall, pancreatic cancer survival of African Americans has not significantly improved over the past several decades despite advances in multimodality therapy; African Americans continue to face worse outcomes than whites. Although baseline characteristics, treatment, and biological factors offer some explanation, they do not completely explain the disparities in incidence and survival.
authors: From the *Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, †The Elkins Pancreas Center, ‡Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, and §Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.
authors: Shumaila N
authors: SN
authors: Khawja
authors: Somala
authors: S
authors: Mohammed
authors: Eric J
authors: EJ
authors: Silberfein
authors: Benjamin L
authors: BL
authors: Musher
authors: William E
authors: WE
authors: Fisher
authors: George
authors: G
authors: Van Buren
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D001741:Black or African American; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D054625:Healthcare Disparities / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology