Colorectal cancer and race: Understanding the differences in outcomes between African Americans and whites

African Americans are more likely to be diagnosed with and are more likely to die from colorectal cancer than whites. Through an extensive search of the literature, this article defines these differences and explores what is known about the factors that may contribute to both delayed diagnosis anti reduced survival once African Americans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Attention is focused on what is known about differences in tumor biology and on differences in the receipt of and response to appropriate therapy. Finally, areas of future research to help narrow the outcomes disparities are discussed throughout.