Advancing Health Equity – Addressing Cancer Disparities
No one should be disadvantaged in their fight against cancer because of how much money they make, the color of their skin, their sexual orientation, their gender identity, their disability status, or where they live.
For the American Cancer Society (ACS) and our non-profit, non-partisan affiliate American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN)SM, health equity means everyone has a fair and just opportunity to prevent, find, treat, and survive cancer. Many factors impact a person's ability to prevent, find, treat, and survive cancer. Structural and social inequities, such as racism, classism, ableism, etc. shape the factors that influence a person’s health, including health-related behaviors and non-medical social and physical environmental factors (e.g., access to healthy and affordable food, transportation, and the financial means to pay for medications, housing, utilities, and other services).
Meet Jenny and MaryAnn: childhood friends, both with breast cancer, but with very different experiences. After viewing the video, we encourage you to reflect on what you observed and then connect with friends, family, and co-workers. Think about how you can apply a health equity lens in your daily work, decision-making, and interactions with others. It will take all of us working together to change the narrative for survivors like MaryAnn. Hear her story, continue the conversation with our Discussion Guide, and learn how you can join the fight to advance health equity by continuing below.
Health Equity through the Cancer Lens
Cancer is a disease that can affect anyone, but it doesn’t affect everyone equally. African Americans and other racial and ethnic groups, people who have low incomes or are underinsured or uninsured, and people living in rural areas often face greater obstacles than others, such as:
- Racism and other forms of discrimination
- Poverty
- Lack of access to affordable healthy foods
- Jobs with lower pay
- Low-quality education
- Living in low-quality housing and unsafe environments.
Inclusion and equity are critical to our mission, and reducing cancer disparities by race and ethnicity is an overarching goal of the American Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. If we are to further reduce deaths from cancer and achieve ACS’ mortality goal of reducing cancer deaths by 40% by 2035 compared to 2015, we need to make sure everyone has the ability to benefit from the advances in research, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. All people deserve a fair and just opportunity to live longer, healthier lives – a key reason diversity is an ACS Core Value.
We believe that we will not reach our mission if we are not inclusive of every community touched by cancer, actively working towards ending cancer disparities. We acknowledge that there is still much work to be done, especially with and in communities that have been disproportionately burdened by cancer and who experience greater obstacles to cancer prevention, detection, treatment, and survival. This includes Black, Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, Indigenous, LGBTQ, and disability communities. This work must take an intersectional approach; that is, understanding that each person will experience discrimination or privilege differently, based on the inter-connectedness of different aspects of their lives. Health is not always “one size fits all,” and we must be intentional, thoughtful, and inclusive if we are to work in sustainable ways with communities.
As a grassroots organization, ACS and ACS CAN are re‐examining and deepening our efforts to intentionally advance health equity through our research, programs, services, and advocacy. Most importantly, if we are to reduce cancer disparities, we need to listen to the experiences and perspectives of people with cancer, their caregivers, and their communities, and engage them in the fight against cancer every step of the way. These issues guide us, and we’re proud to have staff, volunteers, partners, and funders who are deeply committed to diversity, inclusion, and equity. It has never been more important to the work we do.
Current areas of focus include the:
- Black Community
- Indigenous Community
- Latino Community
- LGBTQ Community
American Cancer Society and American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network Health Equity Resources:
- Making the Case for Health Equity: Facts, definitions, and statistics about cancer health disparities and why equity matters.
- Health Equity Principles: Nine principles of health equity guide ACS and ACS CAN’s work to promote and embrace health equity in all that we do.
- Cancer Facts & Figures for African Americans and Cancer Facts & Figures for Hispanic/Latinos: Provides estimated numbers of new cancer cases and deaths, as well as information on cancer risk factors (unhealthy diet, tobacco and alcohol use, obesity, and physical inactivity) and cancer screening rates.
- Understanding and Addressing Social Determinants to Advance Cancer Health Equity in the United States: A Blueprint for Practice, Research, and Policy: Introduces a framework for understanding and addressing social determinants of health, such as financial stability, access to healthy foods, and access to cancer-related services.
- Cancer Disparities: A Chartbook: Illustrates the scope of cancer disparities that exist across our nation.
- Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Lost Earnings from Cancer Deaths in the United States: ACS researchers estimate the cost of racial disparities on cancer mortality when in blacks compared to whites.
- How Structural Racism Can Kill Cancer Patients: Explores racism and inequality in cancer care.