Researchers looked at racial factors in analyzing findings from colonoscopy exams and found that among those with abnormal findings, polyps were the most common among African Americans, while hemorrhoids were the most common finding for Caucasians, and Hispanics most commonly experienced diverticulosis.
Additionally, African Americans in this study experienced a larger number of polyps proximally - or on the right side of the colon.
"We found that one quarter of the cancers in African Americans were on the right side of the colon, making these patients more likely to present without specific symptoms, and making colonoscopy a better screening test than sigmoidoscopy," said Dr. Emmanuel Akinyemi, one of the investigators on the Coney Island study, reviewed at the American College of Gastroenterology Conference.
Overall, colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. African Americans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer at a younger age than whites, and African Americans with colorectal cancer have decreased survival compared with whites.
