Despite the National Cancer Institute's 1990 recommendation that doctors use lumpectomy surgery —which removes tumors while conserving the breast—as a first-line treatment for early-stage breast cancer, the treatment is not equally prescribed for all American women. According to a study published online by the Journal of General Internal Medicine, Asian-American and Pacific Island patients—particularly those born outside the U.S.—are less likely than white women to undergo lumpectomies.

Reporting on data collected from1992-2000 from more than 66,000 patients who participated in the NCI's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program, researchers say 43% of foreign-born Asian Americans and 56% of foreign-born Pacific Island patients received breast-conserving surgery, compared with 59% of white breast-cancer patients. The foreign-born patients were also less likely to receive the surgery than Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders born in this country, even when their breast cancer was diagnosed in the earliest stages.

The study's authors believe language barriers or lack of access to regular health care may explain some of the treatment disparities. Meanwhile, rates of breast cancer and death appear to be rising among Asian-American and Pacific Island women, according to the authors, who call for a better understanding of how doctors care for these fast-growing U.S. demographic groups.