disparities and cancer

[Guest guest]

Of interest --

tina.castanares@...

GROUP ISSUES ACTION PLAN TO ADDRESS DISPARITIES IN CARETo address the fact that minorities and poor people have higher rates of cancer and die more frequently and quickly from it, the Intercultural Cancer Council (ICC) Caucus has issued a 12-step action plan on how the Bush administration and Congress can begin to address the disparities. The ICC Caucus also released a new report, From Awareness to Action: Eliminating the Unequal Burden of Cancer, in conjunction with the group's biennial Symposium on Minorities, the Medically Underserved, and Cancer.The report provides the most up-to-date information about disparities in cancer rates and death among minorities and the poor in the US. "There are major disparities," the report concludes, "in access to quality cancer care at all points in the process -- from screenings and diagnosis to access to state-of-the-art cancer therapies and end-of-life palliative care."In spite of the fact that some estimates predict that half of all cancers could be prevented through lifestyle changes, the report finds major disparities in cancer prevention. Tobacco use, for example, accounts for 30% of all cancer deaths and 87% of lung cancer deaths. But more people in low income households (less than $25,000) smoke than those with higher incomes, by a ratio of 35.5% to 26.5%. The report also notes that the incidence of smoking is rising among African American and Asian American youth.The report cites as "disturbing" the fact that minorities and the poor are less likely to be screened for cancer, resulting in more late-stage cancers when finally diagnosed. One third of American Indian and Alaska Native women over 60 have never had a breast exam, and only 38% of Hispanic women 40 or older have regular mammograms. Further, the report notes that pain management and palliative care at the end of life are two areas "where disparities in cancer care are significant."The report calls "prevailing societal and institutional racism" a major factor behind the disparities. The ICC Caucus's 12-step program calls on the Bush administration and Congress to:* Increase funding for addressing health disparities, screening programs and Medicare demonstration projects that provide access to oral chemotherapy drugs and restore Medicare reimbursement for cancer treatment and care in all settings this year;* Increase educational efforts about cancer and make tobacco control a priority;* Enhance data collection efforts that describe the racial and socio-economic diversity in cancer care;* Eliminate barriers to pain management and palliative care and enact a Patient's Bill of Rights to provide comprehensive protection to cancer patients in managed care plans;* Increase federal funding to support greater access to cancer screening, and* Establish universal health insurance and implement it by 2010.More information is available from ICC's website at www.iccnetwork.org. (PR Newswire, 3/24)