Disparities - Cancer Currents Blog
News and commentaries about cancer-related racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities. Includes stories on factors that influence disparities and efforts to address them.
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Saying YES: Inspiring a Diverse Generation of Cancer ScientistsDrs. Ned Sharpless and Sanya Springfield highlight NCI’s YES program, which is encouraging young students from underrepresented populations to become interested and engaged in cancer research.
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Ovarian Cancer Studies Aim to Reduce Racial Disparities, Improve OutcomesThree recently launched NCI-supported studies could help researchers better understand the causes of racial/ethnic disparities in ovarian cancer. The ultimate goal is to eliminate disparities and improve survival for all women with the disease.
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VA Study Finds No Disparities in Prostate Cancer Deaths with Equal Access to CareIn the Veterans Affairs health care system—where all patients have equal access to care—African American men did not appear to have more-aggressive prostate cancer when diagnosed or a higher death rate from the disease than non-Hispanic white men.
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For Some Women with Breast Cancer, Cost Influences Decisions about SurgeryIn a survey of nearly 600 breast cancer survivors, researchers found that the cost of care factored into the decisions the women made about what type of surgery to get. Many women also reported never discussing costs with their physicians.
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Study Suggests Reviewing Lung Cancer Screening Criteria for African AmericansClinical recommendations on who should be screened for lung cancer may need to be reviewed when it comes to African Americans who smoke, findings from a new study suggest.
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Multipronged Approach Eliminates Racial Disparities in Early-Stage Lung Cancer TreatmentUse of a multipronged approach within hospitals, including community centers, not only eliminated treatment disparities among black and white patients with early-stage lung cancer, it also improved treatment rates for all patients, results from a new study show.
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African American Men More Likely to Die from Low-Grade Prostate CancerFor African American men, the risk of dying from low-grade prostate cancer is double that of men of other races, a new study has found. But, despite the increase, the risk is still small.
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Eight Factors May Link Disparities in Cancer Death Rates and IncomeEight factors may explain more than 80% of the relationship between poverty and disparities in cancer death rates at the county level, according to a new study. The largest mediator was a surprise to the researchers.
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Cancer Control in American Indian and Alaska Native Populations: A Conversation with Dr. Shobha SrinivasanAmerican Indian and Alaska Native populations are disproportionately affected by certain cancers. In this interview, Dr. Shobha Srinivasan discusses some of these disparities and programs funded by NCI that are helping to address them.
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Study Finds Biological Differences in Lung Tumors of African Americans and WhitesPatterns of gene expression may be different in the tumors of some African Americans than in those of whites, a new study has found, and these biological differences may contribute to racial disparities in lung cancer.
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Endometrial Cancer Incidence Rising in the US and WorldwideDiagnoses of endometrial cancer have increased worldwide in recent years, with rates rising in more than half of the 43 countries studied during the decade ending around 2010, a team of international researchers has shown.
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NCI's CURE Program—21 Years of Increasing Diversity in the Biomedical WorkforceNCI’s CURE program recently celebrated its 21st anniversary of providing training and other support to improve the diversity of people involved in cancer research and care.
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Improving Cancer Control in Rural Communities: Next StepsStudies continue to show disparities in cancer outcomes for people who live in rural parts of the United States. NCI’s Dr. Robert Croyle explains how the institute is working with multiple partners to better understand and address these disparities.
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Genomic Study Seeks Clues to Help Explain Breast Cancer DisparitiesUsing one of the largest collections of tumor samples from African Americans with breast cancer, researchers tried to assess the extent to which the molecular characteristics on these tumors might help to explain breast cancer disparities.
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U.S. Cancer Mortality Rates Falling, But Some Regions Left Behind, Study FindsA study of nationwide mortality data found that, while cancer deaths in the U.S. dropped between 1980 and 2014, disparities persisted, and in 160 counties cancer mortality rose substantially.
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Prescription Subsidies Reduce Breast Cancer Treatment DisparitiesA new study has found that subsidies for prescription drugs can improve the use of adjuvant therapy in women with early-stage breast cancer and help reduce disparities in the use of these proven treatments among black and Hispanic women.
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Survival Disparities Identified in Young African Americans with Colorectal CancerAfrican Americans younger than age 50 had significantly worse 5-year survival rates at every stage of disease compared with young white and Hispanic patients, a new study shows.
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Improving Cancer Control in Rural Communities: An Interview with Dr. Robert CroyleNCI’s Dr. Robert Croyle discusses some of the issues related to cancer control faced by rural communities and how NCI is approaching this important problem.
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Low Income Is a Barrier to Clinical Trial Enrollment, Study SuggestsA new study has found that patients with annual household incomes below $50,000 were less likely to participate in a cancer clinical trial than those with higher incomes.
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A Holistic Approach to Cancer Health DisparitiesRecognizing that complex factors underlie health disparities, NCI is taking a holistic approach in our efforts to address this serious public health issue.