Racial Disparities in Colon Cancer Survival A Matched Cohort Study

Background: Differences in colon cancer survival by race are a recognized problem among Medicare beneficiaries. Objective: To determine to what extent the racial disparity in survival is due to disparity in presentation characteristics at diagnosis or disparity in subsequent treatment. Design: Black patients with colon cancer were matched with 3 groups of white patients: a “demographic characteristics ” match controlling for age, sex, diagnosis year, and Survey, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) site; a “presentation ” match controlling for demographic characteristics plus comorbid conditions and tumor characteristics, including stage and grade; and a “treatment” match, including presentation variables plus details of surgery, ra-diation, and chemotherapy. Setting: 16 U.S. SEER sites. Patients: 7677 black patients aged 65 years or older diagnose