April is National Minority Health Month, and this week (April 11-17) has been designated National Minority Cancer Awareness Week. The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) has given April the theme, “Give Your Community a Boost!” This effort looks to raise awareness about the importance of COVID-19 vaccines to the marginalized communities that have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. With this theme, NIMHD is urging the global healthcare community to focus on empowering underserved communities with targeted, clear communications about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination.

As witnessed over decades of disease (and during the COVID-19 pandemic), multiple social determinants of health contribute to disparities in care and outcomes among different groups. Obstacles to quality care can include distrust in the healthcare system, insufficient or lack of health insurance, economic and systemic barriers to care, cultural barriers, implicit and explicit bias, and low health literacy. This is especially true within the oncology community. Even though there have been significant advances in cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment, not all Americans have benefited equally from them. Members of marginalized racially and ethnically diverse groups continue to experience higher morbidity and mortality rates from breast cancer compared to White populations.

ACCC, which has made mitigating disparities in cancer care a core component of its mission, recognizes the importance of National Minority Health Month and National Minority Cancer Awareness Week. Below are a few examples of ACCC’s current work in tackling health disparities in underserved patient populations.

Bladder Cancer

Bladder cancer is the sixth most common cancer diagnosis in the United States. Although it is primarily a disease of White males over age 55, disparities in disease evaluation, management, and mortality persist in patient populations in which bladder cancer is less common. In addition, socio-economic disparities tied to treatment costs and accessibility can delay diagnosis and critical patient care in marginalized groups.

To explore the factors that contribute to disparities in bladder cancer—and get tips on how to mitigate them—ACCC has published an article that offers insights into the common challenges underserved patients with bladder cancer face. The article also highlights practical tips for addressing these challenges and creating the best outcomes for patients fighting this disease.

Breast Cancer

The Tigerlily Foundation released a policy brief in November 2021 that revealed significant disparities in the screening and diagnosis of triple negative breast cancer. This most aggressive form of breast cancer disproportionately affects people under age 40. Black patients are more likely to be diagnosed with this cancer at a younger age. While 23 percent of cases of triple negative breast cancer occur in Black patients under age 50, only 16 percent of cases occur in White women at that age. ACCC has partnered with Tigerlily Foundation to identify the specific barriers Black women face to receiving timely diagnosis and treatment for this type of breast cancer.

This project will develop a patient-provider intervention care sequence plan that will map out the patient care journey—from diagnosis to treatment and survivorship care. Both organizations hope this tool will support patient-provider conversations and improve patients’ access to quality care.

3, 2, 1, Go! The State Societies at ACCC

To address identified gaps in care for breast cancer, the Hawaii Society of Clinical Oncology (HSCO), Arizona Clinical Oncology Society (TACOS), and Texas Society of Clinical Oncology (TxSCO)—all chapter members of ACCC—are each developing and implementing community-based education initiatives to identify and address disparities among marginalized groups specific to each state’s population. These groups include Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, and Latinx/Hispanic Americans.

Each state society will aggregate three “go-to” resources to advance equity in cancer care, make two recommendations to eliminate disparities in care, and identify one major gap in care that the organizations want to address. Each state society will then aggregate and publish resources for providers at the state and local levels and co-host a health equity summit with key stakeholders.

You can keep up with ACCC and its chapter members’ education programming dedicated to mitigating disparities to cancer care for all patients on our health equity page.