Cancer death rates for African Americans have been steadily dropping in the last several years, according to Cancer Facts & Figures for African Americans 2005-2006, but they remain markedly higher than for most other ethnic groups in the US. For black men in particular, the cancer death rate is still an alarming 40% higher than for white men. What can people do to protect themselves? Families and individuals would be wise to use every means available now to lower their risk for cancer, as we'll describe below.

What causes high cancer rates in the black community?

While scientists are searching for biological clues, poor access to medical care is thought to be a major cause. Anyone who misses or delays getting exams that can find cancer early—like mammograms, Pap smears, blood work, and colon tests—is missing out on a chance that cancerous or precancerous growths can be found and removed early on, when the odds for survival are often good.

So keeping up with these lifesaving tests is an important move that African Americans can make right now to protect themselves and their families. The American Cancer Society’s Cancer Detection Guidelines explain what tests are needed, based on age and gender.

Black men in particular should talk with a doctor by age 45 about getting tested for prostate cancer, and men with a family history of the disease should get a doctor’s advice earlier. Rates of this cancer are 60% higher in African-American men than white men, and death rates are nearly two-and-a-half times higher.

In the News Breast Cancer Genes in Minority Families Accounting for Racial Breast Cancer Differences Breast Cancer Risk Factors in White/Black Women

Even when access to a doctor is no problem, in this day of HMOs and managed care, appointments can be so rushed that people may need to ask their doctors specifically about cancer tests—or hand them a written checklist. About half of all cancers can now be discovered early by such screening methods.

Know Your Family’s Medical History

Investigating their family's medical history is another move people can make right now to help protect themselves and their children against cancer. The US Surgeon General's Web site offers "My Family Health Portrait," which can be printed or downloaded onto your home computer. You fill in medical histories for key relatives to create a family tree which shows any diseases that could pass to younger generations.

"Being from the South, and also African American, meant that families didn't always share their health information with other family members. It was unladylike." Vernal Branch Breast Cancer Survivor

A woman with cases of breast cancer in her family, for example, could discuss that history with her doctor to determine her own personal risk for breast cancer. She might be advised to begin mammograms at a younger age, get other scans that look for early signs of breast cancer, or change her lifestyle in ways that can help prevent cancer.

Public health experts have found that a third of US cancer deaths are due to poor diet, excess weight, and a lack of physical activity. Tobacco use causes another third of all cancer deaths. Fortunately, these factors are under our own control. Practical guidance is available in on our Food and Fitness pages and Quitting Smoking Web pages or by calling 1-800-ACS-2345.

"For people with a family history of cancer, it may be especially important that they don't smoke, eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, and maintain a healthy body weight, because we know these things contribute to many types of cancer and other chronic diseases," explained Heather Spencer Feigelson, PhD, MPH, a senior scientist at the American Cancer Society.

The Breast Cancer Threat

Breast cancer takes a greater toll in African-American communities than others, but in some unexpected ways. Statistics show that:

• Black women are less likely to develop breast cancer than whites, but more likely to die from the disease if they do get it.
• Black women are diagnosed at a younger age on average than white women and with more aggressive disease.

How Can You Help?

We can all help in the effort to lower African-American cancer rates by supporting research and spreading the word that early detection tests save lives. A few projects designed to help include:

• The Sister Study, 1-877-4SISTER, www.sisterstudy.org.
  Seeks 50,000 women whose sisters had breast cancer, particularly African-American women and other minorities, to take part in occasional health surveys. Will specifically look for things in our daily surroundings that might cause the disease.
• The Southern Community Cohort Study
  Will track cancer and possible causes in Southern states. Expected to be the largest-ever health study of black Americans.
• The Sisters Network, Inc.
  The members of this African-American breast cancer survivors' group work to educate people in black communities about the devastating impact of breast cancer, the importance of breast health, and where survivors can find help.
• Let's Talk About It
  A prostate cancer awareness program for African-American men. Manned by volunteers; developed by the American Cancer Society and the 100 Black Men of America, Inc.
• Tell A Friend
  In this successful community program, volunteers are asked to get in touch with five friends and encourage them to get regular mammograms. Managed by local American Cancer Society offices.

Getting the Best Cancer Care

Since 1993, the outlook for African Americans with cancer has been steadily getting better, with overall cancer death rates dropping each year. But the death rates among blacks for breast, prostate, and colon cancer are still unusually high.

At the same time, researchers continue to find proof that blacks, other minority groups, and people with low incomes are more likely to get lower-quality medical care, and to get those services less often, than white and/or wealthier Americans. This holds true for cancer patients, too, of course.

Until such unequal treatment is wiped out, people with cancer would do well to learn all they can about the best medicines and methods used to treat their type of cancer by the nation's top doctors. It is also a good idea to look for the best cancer treatment centers.

The ACS provides current, expert treatment information in English and Spanish (Información en español) on this Web site. You can also call our free cancer hotline at 1-800-ACS-2345, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Mammograms to find breast cancer, tests for cervical cancer, and cancer treatment if needed are available free or at low cost across the US from the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, 1-888-842-6355 (select option 7).

The Need to Do More

When the American Cancer Society published the newest cancer statistics about African Americans this month, Durado Brooks, MD, noted that a big drop in colon cancer deaths among whites has not been seen yet in the black community.

"The fact is, African Americans have not benefited equally from the improvements that are making a difference," said Brooks, the Society's director of prostate and colorectal cancers. “We need to do more to improve the socioeconomic factors and to educate people about the lifestyle factors that can help further lessen the unequal [cancer] burden on African Americans.”

The American Cancer Society has made eliminating the cancer gap a priority and takes a comprehensive approach to help African American and other underserved communities through research, education, programs, and services.

To help, call ACS at 1-800-2345 to find the office nearest you, or check our community pages online.