Social Inequity is Cancer Inequity
How can healthcare providers help improve outcomes for all?
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Black Americans, rural residents, and people with no insurance or limited income experience more cancer diagnoses and higher death rates compared to other groups. Among Latinos, cancer is the leading cause of death.
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Consider the barriers faced by a woman working a part-time, low-wage job in a rural area who wants a screening mammogram.
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To attend the screening, she has to miss a day of work—and a paycheck. She lives 35 minutes from the nearest medical center, as do nearly a quarter of rural Americans, and she has to drive or find a ride, since public transit isn’t available in her county.
Chart Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Sept. 24-Oct. 7 2018, and Homeland Infrastructure Foundation Level Data Pew Research Center
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It would be understandable if she prioritized her financial stability and skipped that preventive screening. But that's how socioeconomic issues—in this case, a lack of job security and healthcare access—lead to health issues.
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Cancer care and research has not always intentionally considered the needs of diverse patients whose experience of discrimination, poverty, and geographic isolation present unique obstacles to care. But a growing number of cancer professionals are recognizing these problems and working to address these issues.
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Getting more Americans covered.The Affordable Care Act boosted coverage for many Americans, but 2.2 million people—the majority of whom are Black or Latino—still live in a coverage gap. Today, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network® is lobbying for Medicaid expansion in the 12 states that have yet to adopt it.
Chart Source: CBPP analysis of 2019 American Community Survey Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, CBPP.org
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Increasing access to quality medical care. On average, rural residents travel about an hour for oncology care. For patients and caregivers who must spend nights away from home, American Cancer Society offers free temporary lodging at 30 Hope Lodge locations throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico, including two that opened in 2021.
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Increasing access to quality medical care.Nationwide, the increased use of mobile screening units, which remove transportation barriers for patients, is improving cancer detection rates.
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Boosting representation. People of color and LGBTQ+ people are underrepresented across the field of oncology, which contributes to a deficit of culturally competent care. For one doctor, the memories of struggling to obtain quality care as a young immigrant informs her practice today.
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To help create a more diverse and culturally competent scientific workforce, ACS announced a new cancer research and training program for students of color. Institutions like Dr. Rosenthal's, meanwhile, are improving screening and care for cancers that are more common in the LGBTQ+ community.
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More than one-third of cancer deaths among American adults could be prevented by eliminating socioeconomic disparities. That won’t happen overnight, but a more inclusive healthcare system is already shaping up—and saving lives.
