(www.BlackDoctor.org) -- Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States, causing more than 500,000 deaths each year.In the US, men have slightly less than a 1 in 2 lifetime risk of developing cancer; for women, the risk is a little more than 1 in 3. The National Institutes of Health estimate overall costs of cancer in 2007 at $219.2 billion.

Examples Of Important Health Disparities

Although deaths caused by breast cancer have decreased among white women, African-American women continue to have higher rates of mortality from breast and cervical cancer. The disproportionate burden may be because many African-American women have not received regular mammograms or Papanicolaou (Pap) tests or follow-up treatment.

Incidence rates of cancer are highest among African-Americans (607.3 per 100,000), followed by whites (527.2), Hispanics (415.5), Asian/Pacific Islanders (325.8), and American Indian/Alaska Natives (288.6) men.

Promising Strategy

Modify lifestyles to reduce individual risk for cancer -- tobacco use, diet and nutrition -- and improve early detection. CDC and other public health agencies, health care providers, and communities of all racial and ethnic groups must become partners in a national effort to:

• Improve early cancer detection through routine mammography, Pap tests and colorectal cancer screening;
• Create additional public education campaigns; and
• Develop research projects that will encourage minority groups to participate in clinical trials for cancer prevention to ensure that significant differences between minority and ethnic groups are identified.

Minority groups’ access to cancer care and clinical trials has been expanded to ensure that people in these communities are provided the same quality, access, and state-of-the-art technology that patients in major care centers receive.

What Is The Health Care Provider's Role To Help Reduce The Cancer Burden?

Because fear, cost, and lack of physician referral are three common barriers to cancer screening for women, health care providers play a critical role in increasing cancer screening.

Physicians must address their patients’ fears by describing how screening saves lives.  

Health care providers must communicate with their patients about low-cost or free cancer screening services like the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP).

Because many women in minority populations have limited means or do not know how to access cancer treatment specialists, physicians must act as trusted referral sources.

What Can Individuals Do To Decrease Their Risk Of Getting Cancer?

The number of new cancer cases can be reduced, and many cancer deaths can be prevented.  A person's cancer risk can be significantly reduced by adopting a healthy lifestyle, avoiding tobacco use, increasing physical activity, achieving optimal weight, improving nutrition, and avoiding sun exposure.

Early detection is the best opportunity to reduce deaths; therefore, women at risk must make every effort to receive mammograms and Pap smears on a regular basis so breast and cervical cancer can be detected and treated.  Persons at high risk for colorectal cancer should follow guidelines on periodic health evalutations.

Ask your doctor about the following cancer screening tests:

Sources:

1. CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Health, United States, 2007, Table 31
2. American Cancer Society (ACS) Cancer Facts & Figures 2008 
3. CDC's National Program for Cancer Registries (NPCR) 2004 Facts & Major Findings
4. REACH U.S. Finding Solutions to Health Disparities At A Glance 2008 
5. CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention & Health Promotion (NCCDPHP) Chronic Disease Prevention, Preventing & Controlling Cancer, the Nations 2nd Leading Cause of Death.  At A Glance 2008

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By Nicole Smith, BDO Staff Writer