Markin and colleagues1 examined
the role of surgery in an effort to explain why American Indians (AIs)
have the poorest survival rates for cancer among all ethnic groups
in the United States. Despite all the issues associated with a retrospective
cohort study using an administrative database, the authors identified
some important disparities. Compared with non-Hispanic white patients,
AI patients were younger, had more comorbid conditions, and were more
likely to have surgery in smaller, rural hospitals. Despite these
inequities, short-term surgical outcomes were similar.