Cancer Disparities

Introduction to Cancer Disparities: The Scope of the Problem and Possible Solutions

The Birth of a Discipline In 1973, a landmark paper was published documenting the increasing disparities in cancer mortality between Black and White Americans (Henschke et al., 1973). In many ways, this paper was inspired by the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. It was the signal that the struggle for racial equality was broadening beyond social […]

The Biology of Cancer and Its Relationship to Disparities in Cancer Occurrence and Outcomes Part 1

DNA DAMAGE AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF CANCER Cancer is a group of diseases in which cells have developed the ability to invade into surrounding tissues and potentially metastasize to distant sites (Kessenbrock, Plaks, & Werb, 2010; Talmadge & Fidler, 2010). There are many different types of cancer, but they all occur as a consequence of […]

The Biology of Cancer and Its Relationship to Disparities in Cancer Occurrence and Outcomes Part 2

Radiation Ionizing radiation can induce DNA damage, thereby increasing risk for cancer development (Bolus, 2008; Wall et al., 2006; Williams, 2008). Higher risks are associated with younger age at exposure, and females have somewhat higher risks of cancer from radiation exposure than males do. Some occupations and geographic sites are associated with increased levels of […]

Racial/Ethnic and Socioeconomic Disparities in Cancer Incidence, Stage, Survival, and Mortality in the United States Part 1

Cancer is the second most common cause of death in the United States, following heart disease. The American Cancer Society projected that about 1,596,670 new cancer cases will be diagnosed and about 571,950 Americans will die of cancer in 2011 (American Cancer Society, 2011). The cancer burden varies considerably by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Eliminating […]

Racial/Ethnic and Socioeconomic Disparities in Cancer Incidence, Stage, Survival, and Mortality in the United States Part 2

SOCIOECONOMIC DISPARITIES Socioeconomic status (SES), which is a multidimensional construct of a complex set of factors, including education, income, employment, and other social indicators, is a strong predictor of behavioral risk factors for cancer, as well as a major determinant of insurance status and access to health care. No single indicator of SES fully captures […]

Racial/Ethnic and Socioeconomic Disparities in Cancer Incidence, Stage, Survival, and Mortality in the United States Part 3

TRENDS IN CANCER DISPARITIES Tracking and monitoring temporal trends in cancer disparities are crucial for evaluating efforts to reduce these disparities. However, the interpretation of how disparities have changed over time depends on whether absolute or relative differences are measured. For example, if mortality rates among two groups decrease annually by the same absolute value, […]

Disparities in Cancer Risk Factors and Cancer Screening in the United States Part 1

Much progress has been made over the past three decades in understanding, preventing, detecting, diagnosing, and treating cancer (Curry, Byers, & Hewitt, 2003; Jemal, Ward, & Thun, 2010). Cancer prevention, as a public health strategy based on research evidence, is the first line of defense in reducing the number of deaths resulting from cancer. It […]

Disparities in Cancer Risk Factors and Cancer Screening in the United States Part 2

Individual-Level Interventions in Reducing Disparities in Tobacco Smoking Current Smoking Cessation Treatments As noted earlier, whereas population-level interventions are instrumental in preventing the uptake of smoking or in motivating smokers to consider quitting, individual-level interventions for cessation provide smokers with the tools to successfully quit. By definition, individual-level interventions are characterized by increased contact between […]

Disparities in Cancer Risk Factors and Cancer Screening in the United States Part 4

Racial/Ethnic and Socioeconomic Disparities in Obesity and Related Risk Factors During the past decade, based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which has collected objectively measured height and weight information from participants, the obesity (BMI > 30 kg/m2) trends in women have increased nonsignificantly, from 33.4% in 1999-2000 to 36.1% in 2007-2008; among […]

Disparities in Cancer Treatment: Factors That Impact Health Equity in Breast, Colon, and Lung Cancer Part 1

The lower survival of Black patients compared to White patients with cancer has been reported for many cancer sites and stages (Bach, Cramer, Warren, & Begg, 1999; Bach et al., 2002). Awareness of cancer mortality disparities has generated nearly 20 years of research to identify the underlying causes (Dayal, Polissar, Yang, & Dahlberg, 1987; Freeman, […]

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