HOUSTON, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- African-American women with breast cancer who have a lumpectomy are less likely to receive radiation compared to white women, U.S. researchers said.

Radiation therapy reduces both the chance of recurrence and improves the chance of survival said researchers at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

Researchers examined the treatment history of more than 37,000 women over age 66 who underwent a lumpectomy for breast cancer. Overall, 74 percent of the white women received radiation therapy after their lumpectomy compared to 65 percent of black breast cancer patients who received the same treatment. The cause of the racial disparity is unclear, the researchers said.

The finding are scheduled to be presented at the Sisters Network Inc. 10th National African American Breast Cancer survivorship conference Sept. 19 to 21 in Houston.

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