Cancer
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The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Revitalization Act of 1993 mandated the appropriate inclusion of minorities in all NIH-funded research. Twenty years after this act, the proportion of minority patients enrolled in cancer clinical trials remains persistently low. Clinical trials are vehicles for the development and evaluation of therapeutic and preventive agents under scientifically rigorous conditions. Without representation in trials, it is projected that disparities in the cancer burden for minorities will increase. ⋯ Renewing the emphasis for minority participation in clinical trials is warranted. Policy changes are recommended.
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Pancreatic cancer is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the Medicare population. Whether the health care burden of pancreatic cancer has changed over the last decade is unknown. ⋯ For Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries, initial pancreatic cancer hospitalization, surgical resection, and rehospitalization rates increased, but 1-year mortality rates declined over the last decade.