Racial and socioeconomic disparities were seen in adolescents and young adults treated for rectal cancer in a study involving nearly 3,300 individuals.

Participants had clinical stage II-III rectal cancer. Investigators looked at factors linked with receiving adjuvant and surgical therapies, as well as overall survival. Among the results:

• ~One fourth of black and Hispanic patients did not receive radiation, compared with 17% of whites.
• ~2 in every 10 black and Hispanic patients did not receive surgery, vs 12% of whites.
• ~23% of black and Hispanics did not receive chemotherapy, vs 15% of whites.
• After controlling for competing factors, blacks were 30% less likely to receive neoadjuvant chemoradiation vs whites; Hispanics were 40% less likely to receive such.
• Those with government insurance were very likely to not receive surgery.
• After multivariate analysis, race did not impact mortality.
• Not having surgery had the greatest influence on mortality.