Reducing Health Disparities

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Cancer impacts everyone, but it doesn’t impact everyone equally. We are working to ensure everyone has a fair and just opportunity to prevent, find, treat, and survive cancer. 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.

From ensuring greater diversity among clinical trial participants to improving access to quality, affordable health care, we are asking lawmakers to reduce disparities in cancer care by advancing policies that break down existing barriers.

Black women are 40% more likely to die of breast cancer than white women overall

Latest Updates

June 21, 2022
California

The California Assembly Health Committee passed a bill today that would ensure comprehensive biomarker testing is covered by more insurance plans, including Medi-Cal, when supported by medical and scientific evidence.

May 24, 2022
California

San Diego County voted for a budget that supports the county’s tobacco retailer licensing ordinance passed in early 2020. This budget provides for strong enforcement including annual monitoring, fines, license suspension and revocation for non-compliant retailers.

May 16, 2022

Discrimination in health care and quality of care remain barriers to receiving care for Black and Hispanic cancer patients and survivors, according to preliminary data from a forthcoming American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) Survivor Views survey.

May 11, 2022
National

Eighty-seven organizations representing patients with chronic and acute health conditions, sent a letter to Congress today urging them to improve the diversity of enrollment in clinical trials as part of this year’s Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) reauthorization.

Reducing Health Disparities Resources

ACS CAN submitted comments to the National Institute of Health Request for Information: Inviting Comments and Suggestions to Advance and Strengthen Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Biomedical Research Workforce and Advance Health Disparities and Health Equity Research

Our ability to continue to make progress against cancer relies heavily on eliminating the inequities that exist in the prevention and early detection of cancer. This factsheet explores how health outcomes vary across groups, barriers to cancer screenings, and how ACS CAN is taking action.

In the U.S., colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men and in women, and the second most common cause of cancer deaths when men and women are combined. Despite advancements in screening and treatment, CRC does not affect every community the same.