Racial disparities in survival among patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma in the targeted therapy era

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Historically, African American (AA) patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) have had inferior survival compared with Caucasian patients. Recent studies suggest that the survival disparity between races may be worsening since the advent of targeted therapies for RCC. In this study, survival rates among AA and Caucasian patients with advanced RCC are examined over time to determine whether a disparity in survival persists in the targeted therapy era. METHODS: The authors identified patients with stage IV RCC in the National Cancer Data Base and compared survival between AA and Caucasian patients during the periods before (1998-2004) and after (2006-2011) the advent of targeted therapy. RESULTS: In total, 48,846 patients were identified, and 10% were AA. Three-year survival among both AA and Caucasian patients improved between the 2 periods (P