This week we wrapped up two weeks of dedicated Latinx coverage; examining the disparities in care within this patient population and the unique challenges that people of Latino heritage face in regard to cancer prevention, detection, and treatment.
It was the awareness that significant healthcare disparities exist within this community that spurred this series. But what was not immediately clear was the breadth of the issues – there are so many stories to tell. And while we told many of those stories and took a deep dive into the issues and challenges over these two weeks, the conclusion of this series by no means offers a solution. But rather, a call to action. There is much work to be done in order to meaningfully move the needle on these disparities.
Today we bring you a final story in our Latinx series from writer Clark Jones. Clark’s story is a fitting final installment of our coverage – offering a summary of the key issues and focusing on bridging the gap and some measures necessary to address disparities in cancer treatment for Latinx communities.
If you haven’t yet, be sure to check out the other stories in this series at the links below, along with Spanish translations:
- Bridging the Gap: Addressing Disparities in Cancer Treatment for Hispanic/LatinX Communities / en español
- We hope things get better / en español
- Even in Retirement, Dr. Jaime Estrada Continues to Give to his Latinx Community and More / en español
- A Bittersweet Immigrant Story: The American Diet and Leukemia / en español
- Social Media Campaign Improves Melanoma Education and Actions Among Latinx Patients / en español
- The Hispanic/Latinx Community in America Remains Reluctant to Enter A Cancer Clinical Trial (EXTRA)
- Latinx Voices: BCN Contributors Share Their Perspectives on Key Challenges, Disparities (EXTRA)
- We Need to Do Better! / en español
- A Life of Compassion and Purpose / en español
- How Inclusive Care Can Enhance Immunotherapies’ Effectiveness in Hispanic Children with Neuroblastoma / en español
- Lost in Translation: How Language Barriers Impact Cancer Care for Hispanic/Latinx Americans / en español
While the Latinx series may be a wrap for now, this coverage is just the first installment in our examination of disparities in cancer care among various races and ethnic groups.
For example, Black people have the highest death rate and shortest survival of any racial/ethnic group in the US for most types of cancer. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), Black women are 41% more likely to die from breast cancer than White women – a statistic that ACS notes is, “even more striking because fewer Black women are diagnosed with breast cancer than White women.”
While Asian Americans experience the lowest cancer rates overall, some disparities still exist within this community as well. Asian Americans are 8-13 times more likely to develop liver cancer, and twice as likely to die from stomach cancer, per the Rogel Cancer Center at University of Michigan Health.
The fact that cancer doesn’t affect all races and ethnic groups in the same way is certainly not news. But getting at the heart of these disparities and working to understand how to effectively address them is a worthwhile endeavor, to say the least.
These are stories that matter.
