On Apr. 30, 2012, “Treatment Outcomes in Black and White Children With Cancer: Results From the SEER Database and St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 1992 Through 2007 was published.

Analysis of the SEER data indicated that in both study periods, black patients had significantly poorer rates of survival than did white patients, with the exception of a few types of cancer. Despite significantly improved treatment outcomes for patients who were treated from 2001 to 2007, the racial difference in survival has actually widened for acute myeloid leukemia and neuroblastoma.

By contrast, in the cohorts treated at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, there were no significant differences in survival between black and white patients in either study period, regardless of the cancer type. Importantly, the outcome of treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, and retinoblastoma has improved in parallel for both races during the most recent study period. St.ﾠJude Children’s Research Hospital was founded in 1962 by actor Danny Thomas.