www.wjgnet.com REVIEW Disparities in colorectal cancer in African-Americans vs Whites: Before and after diagnosis

There are differences between African-American and white patients with colorectal cancer, concerning their characteristics before and after diagnosis. Whites are more likely to adhere to screening guidelines. This is also the case among people with positive family history. Colorectal cancer is more frequent in Blacks. Studies have shown that that since 1985, colon cancer rates have dipped 20 % to 25 % for Whites, while rates have gone up for African-American men and stayed the same for African-American women. Overall, African-Americans are 38 % to 43 % more likely to die from colon cancer than are Whites. Furthermore, it seems that there is an African-American predominance in right-sited tumors. African Americans tend to be diagnosed at a later stage