Posted 10/23/2007

August SCMA Journal focuses on cancers that afflict
African-Americans in South Carolina

The soaring cancer rate among African-Americans in South Carolina is the focus of a pivotal issue of the Journal of the South Carolina Medical Association.

The August 2006 issue, one of the largest in the journal’s history, features editorial material from 47 authors from across the state, said Dr. James R. Hebert, director of the South Carolina Statewide Cancer Prevention and Control Program.

"African Americans living in the Palmetto State have some of the nation's highest rates of getting cancer and dying from cancer," said Hebert, who is among the journal contributors

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"While some of the differences, especially in mortality, are related to socioeconomic factors that determine access to healthcare, we are pretty much in the dark regarding many of the underlying causes," he said. "Research to understand why these rates are so high and the disease is so severe is critical. The articles in this journal represent some of the best data to date on how cancer affects African Americans."

This issue of the journal, which has about 6,500 subscribers,  focuses on the epidemiology and prevention of breast, cervical, colorectal, esophageal, lung, oral cavity and prostate cancers in South Carolina.

Hebert said that of the 36 authors of the seven scientific articles, twelve are junior faculty members at the University of South Carolina or the Medical University of South Carolina and eleven are current or former students of USC’s Arnold School of Public Health.

Hebert said the SCMA has set national precedents by:

• Devoting the July 2005 issue of its eJournal to describing seven cancers of major public health interest in a geographic area with some of the largest racial disparities in the U.S.;

• Following up with the publication of the August 2006 issue, which reflects our response to the challenge we made to others to address matters relevant to the prevention and control of these cancers; and the thoughtful peer review of internationally recognized cancer researchers. The current issue also includes four articles written from a community perspective.

Hebert said the new issue reveals that in South Carolina:

• African-Americans have much higher rates of smoking-related cancers (lung, oral, and esophageal) than would be expected based on studies conducted in other parts of the U.S.; and that the rate of a certain type of esophageal cancer (squamous cell) is 10 times higher in African Americans than predicted.

• African-American men are nearly 80 percent more likely to get prostate cancer and two-and-a-half times more likely to die of the disease than European-American men, differentials that are about 50 percent higher than what is observed nationally.

• African-American women are about 60 percent more likely than European-American women to die of breast cancer once they have a diagnosis of the disease; the largest such disparity in the U.S.

• Both African-American women and men are more like to get and die of colorectal cancer than their European-American counterparts.

• African-American women are much more like to be diagnosed with and die from cervical cancer than European-American women, despite similar screening rates.

Dr. Charles Bryan, who has edited the SCMA's journal for 30 years, said this issue of the journal reflects the association's goal of focusing on health and medical problems unique to South Carolina.

"We want to bring researchers, physicians and community healthcare leaders together to address the problems facing our citizens and work toward solutions," he said. "We must bring down the rates of these cancers."

Besides the Cancer Prevention and Control Program, the Journal’s theme edition was a collaboration of the South Carolina Cancer Disparities Community Network, the South Carolina Central Cancer Registry, and the South Carolina Cancer Alliance (along with their many partners).

Lee Moultrie II of the National Black Leadership Initiative on Cancer III and the Us TOO Prostate Cancer and Awareness Program in North Charleston, writes about the importance of prostate cancer screening in the journal and calls on African-American men to take an active role in their healthcare.

"We must no longer make excuses about not being able to leave work, not knowing about the disease ... We who know the truth about the process should continue researching, practicing, educating and comforting."

For more information:

   • James R. Hebert, director of the South Carolina Statewide Cancer Prevention and Control Program.  Dr. Hebert can be reached via 803-734-4489.