And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: via Lady Scribe From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Return-path: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Minority Cancer Study Changes Urged Date: Wed, 20 Jan 1999 13:50:38 EST Minority Cancer Study Changes Urged .c The Associated Press By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID WASHINGTON (AP) -- Scientists studying why some minorities are more prone to certain types of cancer should focus on regional and ethnic groups rather than the current four broad racial categories, the Institute of Medicine said Wednesday. Studying cancer rates among smaller groups it termed ``special populations'' will allow researchers to more accurately measure the impact of such things as ``cultural and behavioral factors, beliefs, lifestyle patterns, diet, environmental living conditions and other factors,'' said the institute, which advises the government on health issues. At the same time, the report called on the National Institutes of Health to increase its efforts to determine why minorities are more prone to develop and die from certain types of cancer. Studies have found that black men have unusually high rates of prostate cancer, for example, while Asians are more likely to develop stomach and liver cancer than whites are. Studies also have found that cervical cancer is higher among Hispanic and Vietnamese-American women and that Alaska natives have high rates of colon and rectal cancer. ``With the population becoming increasingly diverse, it is critical that we learn why some ethnic minorities and the medically underserved are more prone to cancer and less likely to survive it,'' said M. Alfred Haynes, chairman of the committee that prepared the report. Federal programs, including medical research, focus on four racial classifications: white, black, Asian or Pacific Islander and American Indian or Alaska Native. There is also a separate Hispanic category which can include people of any race. These classifications, the committee said, ``are of limited utility for purposes of health research because the concept of race rests on the unfounded assumptions that there are fundamental biological differences among racial groups.'' Collecting data on smaller, more specific, ethnic or regional groups would allow researchers to sort out such things as differences between blacks living in large cities and those in rural Southern communities. Also, the current Asian and Pacific Islander category includes a wide spectrum of people, such as Southeast Asians, Koreans, Japanese, Chinese and Indians. Grouping them together makes it difficult to pinpoint health problems particular to one or the other, the report says. And the current broad categories hinder attempts to measure cancer rates among Hispanics of different national origins, among the various American Indian populations and among rural poverty-level whites such as those living in Appalachia, the report said. ``In this respect the diversity of the U.S. population offers an excellent opportunity to clarify issues relating to prevention and control,'' the report adds. AP-NY-01-20-99 1349EST Copyright 1998 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without prior written authority of The Associated Press. <<<<=-=-=FREE LEONARD PELTIER=-=-=>>>> If you think you are too small to make a difference; try sleeping in a closed room with a mosquito.... African Proverb <<<<=-=http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ =-=>>>> IF it says: "PASS THIS TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW...." Please Check it before you send it at: http://urbanlegends.miningco.com/library/blhoax.htm
