The good news for U.S. Black men is that their cancer death rate declined faster than the rates of other men, largely because of lower rates of lung and prostate cancer. The bad news: Blacks continue to have higher death rates for many types of cancer. And the conditions that have the biggest gapscolon cancer in men and breast cancer in womenare those most affected by screening and treatment, meaning access to care is a big part of the problem. More outreach needs to be done to build awareness and trust that will lead to better outcomes.
The Affordable Care Actwhich will insure 32 million previously uninsured individuals, most of them lower-income Blacks and Latinosincludes provisions for mammograms and colonoscopies, both critical to curbing breast or colon cancer at a stage when treatment can be effective. But what will really make a difference is culturally relevant outreach and education. Hospitals’ and physicians’ ability to provide culturally competent care is essential to alleviating these disparities. Watch this video for more:
