November 30, 2005

By admin

Posted in: Special Populations | statistics

Tags: CRCHD, ethnicity, gender, health, health disparities, income, race, reduce, SES, socioeconomic

Cancer affects people of all racial and ethnic groups. An estimated 570,000 Americans are expected to die of the disease in 2005. However, a close look at cancer rates for racial and ethnic groups reveals some significant differences. Such differences have been described as health disparities. A National Institutes of Health (NIH) working group defined health disparities as differences in the incidence (new cases), prevalence (all existing cases), mortality (death), and burden of cancer and related adverse health conditions that exist among specific population groups in the United States. These population groups may be characterized by gender, age, ethnicity, education, income, social class, disability, geographic location or sexual orientation. Research has shown that individuals from undeserved populations are more likely than the overall U.S. population to:

• be diagnosed with and die from preventable cancers
• be diagnosed with late-stage disease for cancers that are detectable at an early stage through screening
• receive either no treatment or treatment that does not meet currently accepted standards of care
• die of cancers that are generally curable
• suffer from terminal cancers in the absence of adequate pain control and other palliative care

One important example of a health disparity is African Americans’ higher overall cancer incidence and mortality rates compared to other groups. Additionally, certain racial/ethnic groups experience higher rates of specific cancers than other groups. Hispanic women, for instance, have the highest incidence rates for cervical cancers.

Many of the differences in cancer incidence and mortality rates among racial and ethnic groups may be due to factors associated with socioeconomic status (SES) rather than ethnicity. SES in particular appears to play a major role in the differences in cancer incidence and mortality rates, risk factors, and screening prevalence among racial and ethnic minorities. Moreover, studies have found that SES, more than race, predicts the likelihood of a group’s access to education, certain occupations, and health insurance, as well as income level and living conditions — all of which are associated with someone’s chance of developing and surviving cancer.

Following is a brief overview of the currently available data on cancer health disparities among racial and ethnic groups. Rates are based on statistics from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Center for Health Statistics. It should be noted that these agencies are concerned that the small size of some non-white population groups and the methods used to collect data have the potential to yield counts that are unrepresentative of the group as a whole. Work to overcome these problems is ongoing. For more information on statistics, please go to http://seer.cancer.gov/statistics.

STATISTICS

I) Overall incidence and mortality rates

The following U.S. incidence and death rates are for all cancers combined.

•  Cancer Incidence Rates (Number of new cases each year)

Statistics are for 1998-2002, are adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard million population, and represent the number of new cases of invasive cancer per year per 100,000 of both sexes, males, and females, respectively.

Group	Both Sexes	Males	Females
African American	512.3	682.6	398.5
White	479.7	556.4	429.3
Asian/Pacific Islanders	335.6	383.5	303.6
Hispanic/Latino	352.4	420.7	310.9
American Ind/Alaska Nat	233.6	255.4	220.5

•  Cancer Death Rates (Number of deaths each year)

Statistics are for 1998-2002, are adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard million population, and represent the number of deaths per year per 100,000 of both sexes, males, and females, respectively.

Group	Both Sexes	Males	Females
African American	248.1	339.4	194.3
White	195.3	242.5	164.5
Asian/Pacific Islander	119.9	148.0	99.4
Hispanic/Latino	135.2	171.4	111.0
American Ind/Alaska Nat	132.4	159.7	113.8

II) Populations Specific Rates

1. African Americans have the highest incidence and death rates overall, as well as the highest rates for certain cancers.

•  African American Females: Highest incidence rates for certain cancers.

Among females, African Americans have the highest incidence rates of certain cancers, such as colon and rectal cancer and lung and bronchus cancer. Rates are also available for whites, Asian/Pacific Islanders, Hispanics/Latinas, and American Indian/Alaska Natives for these and other cancer sites. Statistics are for 1998-2002, are adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard million population, and represent the number of new cases of invasive cancer per year per 100,000 females.

Group	Colon and Rectum–Female Incidence	Lung and Bronchus–Female Incidence
African American	56.0	55.2
White	45.3	51.1
Asian/Pacific Islander	39.7	28.3
Hispanic/Latina	32.3	23.3
Amer Ind/Alaska Nat	32.2	23.6

•  African American Females: Highest death rates for breast cancer

African American females experience higher death rates from breast cancer than any other racial or ethnic group, even though whites experience higher incidence rates. Statistics are for 1998-2002, are adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard million population, and represent the number of deaths or new cases of invasive cancer, respectively, per year per 100,000 females.

Group	Breast– Female Death	Breast– Female Incidence
African American	34.7	119.4
White	25.9	141.1
Amer Ind/Alaska Nat	13.8	54.8
Hispanic/Latina	16.7	89.9
Asian/Pacific Islander	12.7	96.6

•  African American Males: Highest incidence rates for certain cancers

Statistics are for 1998-2002, are adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard million population, and represent the number of new cases of invasive cancer per year per 100,000 males.

Group	Prostate- Male Incidence	Colon and Rectum-Male Incidence	Lung and Bronchus - Male Incidence
African American	272.0	72.5	113.9
White	169.0	61.7	76.7
Amer Ind/Alaska Nat	50.3	36.7	42.6
Hispanic/Latino	141.9	48.3	44.6
Asian/Pacific Islander	101.4	56.0	59.4

•  African American Males: Highest death rates for certain cancers

Statistics are for 1998-2002, are adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard million population, and represent the number of deaths per year per 100,000 males.

Group	Lung and Bronchus-Male Death	Prostate – Male Death	Colon and Rectum -Male Death
African American	101.3	68.1	34.0
White	75.2	27.7	24.3
Amer Ind/Alaska Nat	47.0	18.3	16.2
Hispanic/Latino	38.7	23.0	17.7
Asian/Pacific Islander	39.4	12.1	15.8

2. While Hispanics/Latinos have lower incidence and death rates overall compared with those of African Americans and whites, they do experience higher rates for certain cancers.

•  Hispanic/Latina Females: Highest incidence rates for cervical cancer.

Statistics are for 1998-2002, are adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard million population, and represent the number of new cases of invasive cancer per year per 100,000 females.

Group	Cervix Uteri–Incidence
Hispanic/Latina	15.8
African American	11.1
Asian/Pacific Islander	8.9
White	8.7
Amer Ind/Alaska Nat	4.9

•  Hispanic/Latina Females: Second highest cervical cancer death rate.

Despite high incidence rates, Hispanic/Latina females have the second highest death rate for cervical cancer; African American females have the highest. Statistics are for 1998-2002, are adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard million population, and represent the number of deaths per year per 100,000 females.

Group	Cervix Uteri–Death
African American	5.3
Hispanic/Latina	3.5
Amer Ind/Alaska Nat	2.6
Asian/Pacific Islander	2.7
White	2.5

•  Hispanic/Latino Males: Third highest incidence rate for prostate cancer.

Hispanic/Latino males have the third highest incidence rate for prostate cancer after African Americans and whites. Statistics are for 1998-2002, are adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard million population, and represent the number of new cases of invasive cancer per year per 100,000 males.

Group	Prostate–Incidence
African American	272.0
White	169.0
Hispanic/Latino	141.9
Asian Pacific Islander	101.4
Amer Ind/Alaska Nat	50.3

•  Hispanic/Latino Males: Third highest death rate for prostate cancer.

Death rates for Hispanic/Latino males reveal that they have the third highest death rates from prostate and colon and rectal cancer, after African Americans and whites. Statistics are for 1998-2002, are adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard million population, and represent the number of deaths per year per 100,000 males.

Group	Prostate–Death	Colon and Rectum– Male Death
African American	68.1	34.0
White	27.7	24.3
Hispanic/Latino	23.0	17.7
Amer Ind/Alaska Nat	18.3	16.2
Asian/Pacific Islander	12.1	15.8

3. While Asian/Pacific Islanders experience lower rates overall compared with other minority groups, they do experience higher death and incidence rates for certain cancers.

Asian/Pacific Islanders are not a homogenous population and contain subgroups that have different cancer rates.

•  Asian/Pacific Islanders: Low death rates overall.

Statistics are for 1998-2002, are adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard million population, and represent the number of deaths per year per 100,000 population.

Group	Cancer Death Rate
African American	248.1
White	195.3
Amer Ind/Alaska Nat	119.9
Hispanic/Latino	135.2
Asian/Pacific Islander	132.4

•  Highest incidence rates of liver and stomach cancer for both sexes.

This group experiences the highest incidence rates of liver cancer and stomach cancer. The liver cancer incidence rate for American Indian/Alaska Natives is much lower. Statistics are for 1998-2002, are adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard million population, and represent the number of new cases of invasive cancer per year per 100,000 population.

Group	Liver and Bile Duct–Incidence	Stomach–Incidence
Asian/Pacific Islander	14.0	15.9
Amer Ind/Alaska Nat	6.7	12.0
Hispanic/Latino	9.7	13.0
African American	7.3	12.9
White	5.0	7.4

•  Asian/Pacific Islander females: Third highest breast cancer incidence rate.

Statistics are for 1998-2002, are adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard million population, and represent the number of new cases of invasive cancer per year per 100,000 females.

Group	Breast–Female Incidence
White	141.1
African American	119.4
Asian/Pacific Islander	96.6
Hispanic/Latina	89.9
Amer Ind/Alaska Nat	54.8

•  Asian/Pacific Islander females: Third highest incidence for lung and bronchus and colon and rectum cancers.

Statistics are for 1998-2002, are adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard million population, and represent the number of new cases of invasive cancer per year per 100,000 females.

Group	Lung and Bronchus–Female Incidence	Colon and Rectum–Female Incidence
African American	55.2	56.0
White	51.1	45.3
Asian/Pacific Islander	28.3	39.7
Amer Ind/Alaska Nat	23.3	32.2
Hispanic/Latina	23.6	32.3

•  Asian/Pacific Islander females: Lower death rates for some cancers.

Among females, Asian/Pacific Islanders experience the lowest breast cancer and colon and rectal cancer death rates. Statistics are for 1998-2002, are adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard million population, and represent the number of deaths per year per 100,000 females.

Group	Breast–Female Death	Colon and Rectum–Female Death
African American	34.7	24.1
White	25.9	16.8
Hispanic/Latina	16.7	11.6
Amer Ind/Alaska Nat	13.8	11.8
Asian/Pacific Islander	12.7	10.6

•  Asian/Pacific Islander males: Third in incidence rates for certain cancers.

Asian/Pacific Islander males have the third highest rate for lung and bronchus cancer and colon and rectal cancer. Statistics are for 1998-2002, are adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard million population and represent the number of new cases of invasive cancer per year per 100,000 males.

Group	Lung and Bronchus–Male Incidence	Colon and Rectum–Male Incidence
African American	113.9	72.5
White	76.7	61.7
Asian/Pacific Islander	42.6	56.0
Amer Ind/Alaska Nat	44.6	36.7
Hispanic/Latino	59.4	48.3

•  Asian/Pacific Islander males: High death rates for some cancers.

Asian/Pacific Islander males experience high death rates for liver cancer and stomach cancer. Statistics are for 1998-2002, are adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard million population and represent the number of new cases of invasive cancer per year per 100,000 males.

Group	Liver and Bile Duct–Male Death	Stomach–Male Death
Asian/Pacific Islander	15.4	11.2
African American	9.5	12.8
Hispanic/Latino	10.7	9.5
Amer Ind/Alaska Nat	7.9	7.3
White	6.2	5.6

4. While American Indian/Alaska Natives experience some of the lowest rates among all groups, they do experience higher death and incidence rates for certain cancers.

The Indian Health Service reports a large variability in cancer rates among this population, especially in areas such as the Northern Plains and Alaska.

•  American Indian/Alaska Native males: Lowest prostate cancer incidence rate.

American Indian/Alaska Native males have the lowest prostate cancer incidence rate. Statistics are for 1998-2002, are adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard million population, and represent the number of new cases of invasive cancer or deaths, respectively, per year per 100,000 males.

Group	Prostate–Incidence	Prostate–Death
African American	272.0	68.1
White	169.0	27.7
Hispanic/Latino	141.9	23.0
Asian/Pacific Islander	101.4	12.1
Amer Ind/Alaska Nat	50.3	18.3

•  American Indian/Alaska Native females: Lowest breast cancer incidence rate.

American Indian/Alaska Native females have the lowest breast cancer incidence rate. Statistics are for 1998-2002 and are adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard million population and represent the number of new cases of invasive cancer or deaths, respectively, per year per 100,000 females.

Group	Breast–Female Incidence	Breast–Female Death
White	141.1	25.9
African American	119.4	34.7
Asian/Pacific Islander	96.6	12.7
Hispanic/Latina	89.9	16.7
Amer Ind/Alaska Nat	54.8	13.8

•  American Indian/Alaska Native females: Third highest lung and bronchus death rates.

Among women, American Indian/Alaska Natives have the third highest rate of death from lung and bronchus cancer, after whites and African Americans. Statistics are for 1998-2002, are adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard million population, and represent the number of deaths per year per 100,000 females.

Group	Lung and Bronchus–Female Death
White	41.8
African American	39.9
Amer Ind/Alaska Nat	27.1
Asian/Pacific Islander	18.8
Hispanic/Latina	14.8

The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program of the National Cancer Institute is the most authoritative source of information on cancer incidence and survival in the United States. NCI’s SEER cancer registry program recently has been expanded to cover more of the racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity of the United States, allowing for better description and tracking of trends in health disparities. Methodological studies are seeking better ways to measure socioeconomic factors and determine their relationship to cancer incidence, survival, and mortality. Additionally, NCI supports a growing body of research to examine the environmental, sociocultural, behavioral, and genetic causes of cancer in different populations and apply these discoveries through interventions in clinical and community settings. These interventions cover topics such as tobacco control, dietary modification, and adherence to screening practices. Recognizing the broad relevance of this research to other disease outcomes, NCI collaborates with other federal agencies in supporting important research initiatives, including co-funded research with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) under its initiative ‘Understanding and Eliminating Minority Health Disparities’. For more information, please go to http://www.seer.cancer.gov.

SELECT NCI ORGANIZATIONS AND RESEARCH ACTIVITIES IN HEALTH DISPARITIES

Reducing cancer health disparities is designated as one of NCI’s seven key investment areas (http://plan2006.cancer.gov/disparities.shtml). Following are some examples of current research programs and activities in this area.

1. Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities

NCI established the Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities (CRCHD) in 2001 to serve as an organizational locus for institute disparities efforts, including the implementation of the disparities priorities outlined in the institute’s plan and budget proposal for fiscal year 2007.

In its effort to reduce cancer health disparities, the center directs the implementation, coordination, and reporting of NCI health disparities research opportunities; provides scientifically based evidence to support the development of effective and sustainable intervention strategies; and informs policy and decision makers of evidence-based policy strategies with potential for eliminating cancer health disparities. For more information, go to http://crchd.nci.nih.gov.

• Community Networks Program (CNP)

In 2005, NCI awarded $95 million in grants over five years to 25 institutions representing Hispanic, African American, American Indian, Asian and Pacific Islander populations, and other underserved populations, to work with those communities to develop intervention-based approaches to eliminating cancer health disparities.

The Community Networks Program initiative was created as the follow-on successor to NCI’s successful Special Populations Networks. The overall goal of the program is to significantly improve access to—and utilization of—beneficial cancer interventions and treatments in communities experiencing cancer health disparities in order to reduce these disparities. Interventions will include cancer prevention activities such as proven approaches for quitting smoking, increasing healthy eating and physical activity, and early detection and treatment of breast, cervical and colorectal cancers.

Each CNP will put together an advisory group that will serve as the voice of the community — to seek information from the community and deliver results back to the community. A steering committee of community-based leaders, researchers, clinicians and public health professionals will provide additional support.

To sustain successful efforts in their communities over time, CNP grantees also will work closely with policy makers and non-governmental funding sources. Together, CNP grantees and NCI will train minority investigators, identify potential research opportunities, and ensure that valuable research findings are disseminated broadly. For additional information, go to http://crchd.nci.nih.gov/initiatives/cnp/.

• Patient Navigator Research Program

The Patient Navigator Research Program (PNRP) aims to develop innovative patient navigator interventions to reduce or eliminate cancer health disparities and test efficacy and cost-effectiveness of these interventions. Trained and culturally sensitive health care workers from local communities — social workers, nurses, lay people — are assigned to help disadvantaged and underserved cancer patients and their families navigate the complex health care system after receiving a cancer diagnosis.

Patient navigators are able to communicate credibly with underserved cancer patients, helping them obtain accurate information on diagnosis and treatment procedures, access to hospitals and clinics, guidance on financial assistance and help with tracking their medical records and obtaining prescriptions.

Built on a pilot program, NCI awarded eight NCI-funded grants to research institutions in 2005 — $19.5 million over five years — to expand NCI’s patient navigator research program. The PNRP will test and evaluate interventions designed to improve access to timely and appropriate cancer care and treatment following a cancer diagnosis.

This program will focus on four cancers for which screening tests are available: breast, cervical, prostate, and colorectal. For more information, please go to http://crchd.nci.nih.gov/initiatives/pnp/.

• Special Populations Networks

NCI-sponsored the Special Populations Networks for Cancer Awareness

Research and Training (SPNs) at 18 research institutions in 2000. The SPNs served as a vehicle to build robust and sustainable infrastructures with research institutions and community-based programs to promote cancer awareness, conduct cancer control research, increase minority enrollment in clinical trials, and help to develop minority junior researchers through cancer control, prevention, research, and training programs in minority and underserved communities. The SPN program ended in December 2004 and has transitioned to the Community Networks Program. For more information, go to http://crchd.nci.nih.gov/initiatives/spn/

• Excess Cervical Cancer Mortality: A Marker for Low Access to Health Care in Poor Communities

NCI’s Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities (CRCHD) released a report in July 2005 that found that high rates of cervical cancer are indicators of larger problems in access to health care. The report, shaped and produced by a think tank of outside experts appointed by CRCHD, also found that cervical cancer mortality, which is higher in certain geographic areas and populations, is a marker for other health disparities. This report synthesizes research knowledge, identifies core findings, articulates program and policy options, and disseminates this information to federal, state, and local policy makers.

The projected outcomes of the report are specific actions and targeted interventions to eliminate cervical cancer mortality disparities. These actions fall into four key areas: access (services, outreach, and navigation); information and communication; collaborations, partnerships, and advocacy; and research. This report is available at http://crchd.nci.nih.gov/meetings/cervical_cancer_mortality/.

2. Comprehensive Minority Biomedical Branch Program

As part of NCI’s Office of Centers, Training, and Resources (OCTR), the Comprehensive Minority Biomedical Branch (CMBB) coordinates NCI’s efforts to broaden participation in cancer-related research and training activities for underrepresented and disadvantaged individuals, individuals with disabilities, individuals seeking re-entry into biomedical research, and other segments of the population that are underserved by the biomedical research enterprise.

The CMBB’s goal is to significantly increase the number of underrepresented minorities participating as competitive NCI/NIH-funded cancer researchers through three main strategies:

• broadening the participation of underrepresented minority individuals in cancer-related research and training activities, while encouraging them to become independent/competitive researchers
• raising the competitive research capacity of Minority-Serving Institutions
• becoming the national resource to help raise the level of the effectiveness of other programs and organizations inside and outside the NCI/NIH that are dedicated to increasing the number of competitive underrepresented minority individuals and institutions participating in the cancer research enterprise

For more information on the Comprehensive Minority Biomedical Branch Program, go to http://minorityopportunities.nci.nih.gov/index.html.

• Continuing Umbrella of Research Experiences

The Continuing Umbrella of Research Experiences (CURE) for Underrepresented Minorities Program is involved in training and encouraging underrepresented individuals to become competitive cancer researchers. CURE supplements include:

• NCI Cancer Center (P30) supplements for High School and Undergraduate Research Experiences
• Minority supplements to the NCI Cancer Education and Career Development Program (R25T)
• Minority supplements to Institutional Clinical Oncology Research Development Awards (K12), (iv) Supplements to Cancer Center Support Grants for Minority Physicians Performing Patient–Oriented Research (P30), and (v) Minority supplements to NCI-Supported Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Institutional Research Training Grants (T32S).

 

• Minority Institution/Cancer Center Partnership Program

The Minority Institution/Cancer Center Partnership Program (MI/CCP) reaches out to the five major minority institutions with medical schools, as well as to more than 300 smaller institutions dedicated to educating African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and other groups underrepresented in biomedical research. Research-intensive NCI-designated Cancer Centers, together with culturally sensitive Minority-Serving Institutions, offer an entirely new set of opportunities for training more minority scientists, expanding the cancer research capability of MSIs, and focusing more research and community outreach programs of cancer centers on minority health disparities.

The MI/CCP Program includes:

• Feasibility studies for collaborative interactions for minority institution/Cancer Center partnership (P20)
• Cooperative planning grants for Comprehensive minority institution/Cancer Center partnership (U56)
• Comprehensive minority institution/Cancer Center partnerships (U54)

3. Minority-Based Community Clinical Oncology Programs

The Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP) provides support for expanding clinical research efforts in the community setting. Of the 60 CCOPs, 10 are Minority-Based Community Clinical Oncology Program (MB-CCOPS). The MB-CCOPS are responsible for more than 5,500 minorities enrolling in treatment and prevention trials sponsored by NCI over the past decade. Initiated in 1990, the MB-CCOPs provide minority cancer patients with access to state-of-the-art cancer treatment, prevention and control technology in their own communities. The current program involves more than 40 hospitals and more than 100 minority investigators. For more information: http://www.cancer.gov/prevention/ccop.

4. Trans-HHS Cancer Health Disparities Progress Review Group

In March 2004, a department-wide Cancer Health Disparities Progress Review Group (PRG) was appointed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The PRG goals were to:

1. Comprehensively define and describe issues related to cancer health disparities
2. Identify areas of strength, gaps, opportunities, and priorities to address cancer health disparities in research and intervention development
3. Facilitate the adoption and implementation of evidence-based policy, community and clinical interventions and evaluate their impact on specific cancer health

The PRG was the first of its kind to be formed on cancer at the HHS department level. Although other cancer PRGs were initiated at the NCI level, the Trans-HHS Cancer Health Disparities PRG is considered a model for future PRGs in major disease areas. A three-phase set of recommendations for federal progress against cancer health disparities was released upon completion. For additional information on the Trans-HHS Cancer Health Disparities PRG, go to http://www.hhs.gov/chdprg/.

5. Centers for Population Health and Health Disparities

With this initiative, NCI supports four to five centers in collaboration with other institutes at the National Institutes of Health (beginning in 2003). The centers support interdisciplinary research leading to an understanding and reduction of health disparities across several different diseases. Each center will support a minimum of three research projects with a common theme, focusing on social and environmental determinants of health, population health and significant disparate health outcomes.

RESEARCH PROJECTS

NCI funds hundreds of studies related to minority health and health disparities. What follows is a small sample of these projects. More information can be found through CRISP, a searchable database of federally funded biomedical research projects conducted at universities, hospitals, and other research institutions. Visit CRISP at http://crisp.cit.nih.gov/.

1. Southern Community Cohort Study

NCI recently awarded a multi-million dollar grant to fund this study which will help determine why African Americans are more likely to develop cancer and die from the disease. The study will enroll and follow 105,000 people, two-thirds of them African American, in six southeastern states. The initiative is a collaborative effort of the Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center ( Nashville, Tenn.), Meharry Medical College ( Nashville, Tenn.), and the International Epidemiology Institute ( Rockville, Md.).

2. SELECT

The Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT) is a large prostate cancer prevention study launched by NCI and a network of researchers known as the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG). The study will determine if two dietary supplements, selenium and vitamin E, can protect against prostate cancer. Researchers are making a special effort to ensure a high rate of participation among African Americans. For more information: http://cancer.gov/SELECT.

3. Cancer Survivorship in Minority and Underserved Populations

Investigators at NCI-supported Comprehensive Cancer Centers are using supplemental funding to examine:

• The physical and psychosocial needs of medically underserved cancer survivors and/or their families and how these needs compare with those found in cancer survivors and/or their families from majority populations
• Sociocultural variables that affect cancer survivorship, particularly those that affect quality of life
• The nature and effectiveness of existing post-treatment medical and support services designed for cancer patients from underserved communities
• The effectiveness and feasibility of behavioral measures and interventions aimed at assessing and reducing secondary physical and psychological consequences in minority or underserved cancer survivors and their families

4. Cervical Cancer Screening in the ASCUS/LSIL Triage Study (ALTS)

This six-year clinical trial was designed to determine the optimal treatment of women with abnormal Pap smears. Nearly 40 percent of the women accrued were African-American or Hispanic/Latina. For more information: http://cancer.gov/prevention/alts/index.html.

5. Network for Cancer Control Research Among American Indian/Alaska Native Populations

The network fosters exchanges of information on cancer control research; improves community links to NCI and the American Cancer society; and is intended to increase the number of AI/AN researchers, scientists, and medical students involved in cancer control activities in AI/AN communities.

###

FOR MORE INFORMATION

NCI’s SEER home page: http://www.seer.cancer.gov. This Web site is the source for all statistics used in this document. The site also contains data points for graphs in the manuscript, as well as supplementary data and charts.

Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities: http://crchd.nci.nih.gov

Comprehensive Minority Biomedical Branch: http://minorityopportunities.nci.nih.gov/index.html

Nation’s Investment in Cancer Research: Overcoming Cancer Health Disparities: http://plan2006.cancer.gov/disparities.shtml

CRISP (Computer Retrieval of Information on Scientific Projects): http://crisp.cit.nih.gov

American Cancer Society: http://www.cancer.org

CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control: http://www.cdc.gov/cancer

CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics mortality data page: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/deaths.htm

North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR): http://www.naaccr.org

Intercultural Cancer Council: http://iccnetwork.org/