African Americans diagnosed with renal cell cancer—a form of kidney cancer—have lower survival rates than their white counterparts, says a new study conducted by the National Cancer Institute. Blacks survived an average 2.5 years while white Americans survived 3.2 years.

Although the researchers could not pinpoint concrete explanations for their findings, they suggest that black patients could benefit from better preventative kidney health measures and access to medical care

To learn more about kidney health, read RH  feature “The Kidney Punch.”