Double the number of black men are estimated to die with prostate cancer than white men, and the disparity is largely escalated by those who have access to high-quality treatment, a new study has revealed.

A study of more than 306,000 nonmetastatic prostate cancer cases stated that when white and black patients received equally effective treatment, they were equally proposed to have survived the disease 10 years after diagnosis, which suggests that socioeconomic data and other barriers to health may be steering the poorer outcomes for black men. “Efforts are needed to address the modifiable social factors contributing to racial disparity in prostate cancer.”, researchers at the University of Michigan said.

Black men in the cancer data generally witnessed greater hurdles in accessing quality healthcare related to insurance status, income, education level, and housing, the study found. Black men suffering from prostate cancer were often diagnosed at a later stage and therefore received less amount of care.

“African Americans, other minorities, and the poor in general often experience disparate quality of care or no care at all.”, researchers from Johns Hopkins said in the commentary. “Although race does not matter biologically, race still matters.”

“We as health care professionals are likely to have the greatest effect on improved outcomes for African American patients with prostate cancer by ensuring that they get the same care as white patients, not just in clinical trials but throughout the national health care system.”, they further added.