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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Study Finds Disparities in Access to Opioids for Cancer Pain at End of LifeBlack and Hispanic patients nearing the end of life are less likely than White patients to get opioids needed to control their cancer pain, a new study shows. Black patients were also more likely than White patients to undergo urine tests that screen for drugs.
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Is a Genomic Test Better at Finding Aggressive Prostate Cancer?The Decipher genomic test found high-risk prostate cancer even when conventional tests said the tumors were lower risk. This discrepancy appeared to happen more frequently for African-American men.
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Working to Close the Cancer Screening Gap Caused by COVIDMany hospitals and community health centers are trying to increase cancer screening rates after the COVID pandemic caused them to plummet. The largest effort aims to add a total of 70,000 additional monthly screening tests over a 6-month period.
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Telehealth-Based Cancer Care Surged during COVID. Will It Continue?Experts say studies are needed on how to best transition telehealth from a temporary solution during the pandemic to a permanent part of cancer care that’s accessible to all who need it.
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Why Are Many Women Overdue for Cervical Cancer Screening?The rates of timely cervical cancer screening fell between 2005 and 2019, researchers found, and disparities existed among groups of women. The most common reason for not receiving timely screening was lack of knowledge about screening or not knowing they needed screening.
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Black Patients Are More Likely to Die of Cancer—Here’s How One Group Is Tackling ThatA program called ACCURE is showing promise toward reducing disparities among Black and White patients with breast and lung cancers. ACCURE involves system-wide changes at cancer centers to overcome structural and cultural barriers in patient care.
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New Risk Model Aims to Reduce Breast Cancer Disparities in Black WomenMost breast cancer risk tools were developed with data mainly from White women and don’t work as well for Black women. A new tool that estimates risk for Black women may help identify those who might benefit from earlier screening, enabling earlier diagnosis and treatment.
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Texting May Help Reduce Disparities in Colorectal Cancer ScreeningCombining text messaging with mailing people free at-home FIT kits helped increase screening for colorectal cancer among a predominantly Black population, a new study has found. It’s part of a larger effort to reduce disparities in cancer screening.
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Oncotype DX Breast Cancer Test May Be Less Accurate for Black PatientsThe test, which helps guide treatment decisions, was not as good at predicting the risk of death from breast cancer for Black patients as for White patients, a new study has found. The findings highlight the need for greater racial diversity in research studies.
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Persistent Poverty Linked to Increased Risk of Dying from CancerPeople who live in counties in the United States with persistent poverty are more likely to die from cancer than people in other counties, a new study shows, highlighting the influence of social and structural factors on health.
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Why Is Colorectal Cancer Rising Rapidly among Young Adults?Diagnoses of colorectal cancer continue to increase in younger adults. In September 2020, more than 400 leading scientists and patient advocates participated in an NCI/NIEHS-sponsored symposium to identify research priorities that address important questions about this concerning trend.
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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.