New Mexico cancer patients have lower survival rate, study finds

[Judi Lynn]

May 13, 2019

Las Cruces, NM -- Researchers at the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine (BCOM) have found that cancer patients in New Mexico have lower chances of survival when compared to the rest of the nation.

The research was presented by third-year medical student Zac Taylor at the annual meeting of the Arizona Osteopathic Medical Association (AOMA). It was awarded first place among all poster presentations.

"Our preliminary data indicates that some populations, namely Hispanics living in the border region, may have a lower five-year survival rate for some types of the cancers, and there appears to be an association with the stage of the cancer at diagnosis," says Michael Woods, PhD, BCOM assistant professor of physiology and pathology who oversaw the research. "There could be several reasons for this, including access to health care or other societal factors that we don't fully understand yet."

For the project, the team sifted through cancer statistics collected by the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program. SEER specifically collects and publishes cancer incidence and survival data, such as disease type and stage and patient treatment and outcomes. The database represents 34.6 percent of the U.S. population.

More:
https://www.brightsurf.com/news/article/051319482990/new-mexico-cancer-patients-have-lower-survival-rate-study-finds.html