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Título

EXAMINING RACIAL DISPARITIES IN MORTALITY RATES OF UROLOGIC CANCERS: AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY OF BLACK AND WHITE POPULATIONS

Resumo

INTRODUCTION: Urologic cancers affect people of all races and ethnicities. In this manuscript, the underlying causes of disparities between black and white individuals regarding theses diseases will be explored. Differences in cancer biology, risk factors, socioeconomic inequalities, and access to health care will be analyzed. The challenges faced by black people in relation to urological cancer awareness and prevention will be discussed, as well as the barriers that prevent access to effective treatments. METHODS: This was an ecological study, descriptive, analytic and retrospective study analysing the data reported between January 2008 and December 2022. The data were extracted from dataSUS, IBGE and INCA platforms. The population was grouped into two groups: black and white/brown individuals. The comparison between both groups was performed using Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: 43% of Brazilians declared themselves as white, 47% as brown and 9.1% as black. Whites and browns are more hospitalized than blacks for bladder cancer and penile and testicular cancer. Blacks are more hospitalized than whites and browns for prostate cancer and kidney cancer. It was found that blacks die more than whites and browns in all urological tumors. DISCUSSION: Whites and browns are more hospitalized than blacks for bladder cancer, penile cancer and testicular cancer. Still black people die more. Prostate and kidney tumors require fewer hospitalizations over the course of the disease. In this case, the greater number of hospitalizations may be associated with poor quality of treatment and possible complications of the disease. On the other hand, bladder and testicular tumors require more hospitalizations for adequate treatment. Thus, the greater number of hospitalizations can translate into good treatment assistance. In this case, the population of whites and browns are better assisted for their illnesses, since, historically, they assume the portion of the population with the highest per capita income, with greater access to quality health services. CONCLUSION: It is essential to identify the underlying factors contributing to racial disparities in these diseases. By improving access to healthcare, and addressing socioeconomic disparities, we can work towards reducing the burden of urologic cancers among black individuals in Brazil and worldwide.