Closing the Cancer Gap

Higher mortality rates. Less access to care. Poorer quality of life. These are some of the realities Black Americans face when cancer care is not equitable.

Agents of Change

America’s “war on cancer” continues to make improvements in the screening, detection, and treatment of cancer, cutting overall mortality rates and enabling most people to survive longer and with a better quality of life.

Black Americans have not benefited equally from these advances. Cancer survival rates are lower for Black people than for white people for almost every type of cancer. Black men are 2 to 4 times more likely to die of prostate cancer than any other racial or ethnic group, for example. Black women are 40 percent more likely to die of breast cancer.

But there is reason for hope. Across the country, researchers, clinicians, patients, advocates, community leaders, and activists are working to circumvent or eliminate obstacles to care. Closing the Cancer Gap highlights those working to ensure that all benefit from the gains made in detecting and treating cancer while providing patients and families with the tools to navigate these obstacles.

Breast Cancer

Society has fragmented us into healthcare haves and have-nots.

Expert Access With Ryland J. Gore, MD, MPH

Why Do Black Women Have Higher Rates of Dying From Breast Cancer?

The risk is 40 percent higher than other races and ethnicities, according to the American Cancer Society. Discover why.
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Colorectal Cancer

We must stop blaming patients for not prioritizing their care, especially when we know that providers don’t invest adequate time discussing prevention.
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Lung Cancer

It’s not just historical abuses, but structural racism that’s made Black Americans reluctant to seek care.
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Gynecologic Cancers

As a society, we need to have tough conversations about access to quality care and collectively come up with solutions so that having a cancer diagnosis does not become a death sentence for the most vulnerable members of our society.

Head and Neck Cancer