The role of the special populations networks program in eliminating cancer health disparities

✍ Scribed by Harold P. Freeman; Nadarajen A. Vydelingum

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2006
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 50 KB
• Volume: 107
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0008-543X
• DOI: 10.1002/cncr.22162

✦ Synopsis

A critical disconnect exists between our ability to discover new knowledge about cancer and our ability or willingness to deliver the benefits of this knowledge to all Americans. Profound advances in cancer research have contributed to increased survival and improved quality of life for the population as a whole, but some segments of the population have not benefited equally from these advances. These gaps in delivery have resulted in significant cancer health disparities that represent both a challenge for science and a moral and ethical dilemma for our nation.

Disease occurs within the context of human circumstances, including poverty, culture, and social injustice. These circumstances are believed to be the principal determinants of the disproportionate burden of cancer experienced by some groups of Americans. Poor and medically underserved populations, some racial and ethnic minorities, and many rural residents experience significant barriers to receiving cancer education, screening, diagnosis, and treatment. 1 These barriers include limited access to health care, lack of or inadequate health insurance, insufficient information and knowledge, and cancer risk promoting lifestyle behaviors. Unfounded attitudes and assumptions based on race that result in unequal treatment are other critical factors associated with disparities.

Efforts to identify and address cancer health disparities in the United States began slowly. Starting in the 1970s, reports from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program and a growing number of peer-reviewed articles documented variations in cancer incidence, mortality, and survival according to race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status.