A Review of Health Care Disparities in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas

Abstract

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas are aggressive cancers with significant morbidity and mortality that can be confounded by health care disparities, particularly race. This article is intended to educate and provide evidence on the status of health care disparities in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. A review of the English-language literature was performed using Pubmed and MEDLINE. Results indicated that African American patients are diagnosed at a younger age, presented with higher tumor burden, are less likely to receive definitive cancer treatment, and have increased mortality compared with non-African American patients. Much of these differences are reversible and can be eliminated by education, instituting screening programs, and also extending health care coverage.