Community Engagement & Resources are Key to ‘Closing the Gap’ on Racial Disparities in Cancer Care

Community Engagement & Solutions

• Getting people in minority communities equal access to cancer screening and treatment services starts with resources.
• Experts in disparity research tell SurvivorNet that part of the problem is that patients aren’t aware or told about available services. This leads to certain populations being left out of things like cancer research studies.
• In addition to all patients being made aware of resources, experts stress that establishing trust in the healthcare system is equally important.

Experts in healthcare disparities agree that community engagement is the key to getting more people access to cancer care — including preventative measures, screening, and treatment. During SurvivorNet's annual " Close the Gap " conference, held in June 2024, we held a community engagement and solutions session to get expert opinions on how to increase access to care in Black and Brown communities. Dr. Karriem Watson, who is a cancer disparities researcher and works for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), said step one is making sure these communities have resources available to them. A patient can't get involved in a clinical trial, for example, if they're not informed about it and can't get to the medical center where it's being conducted.

Access to Resources is Key

"We know that populations who are minorities ... particularly those impacted by cancer, are less likely to participate in clinical trials. Not because they don't want to but oftentimes because those clinical trials are not conducted where they get their care and often, they are not offered those clinical trials," Dr. Watson explained. To address the issue, the NIH created an All of Us Research Program , which works with community organizations to get more diverse patients enrolled in research studies. Understanding the needs of different communities plays a key role as well. Rachel Marquez, who works for Family Reach , an organization aimed at helping families pay for cancer treatment, explained that patients may not be seeking the care that they need if they fear they can't get their basic needs met. One in three families are not able to get basic needs — like transportation, food, and housing — met while undergoing cancer treatment, she explained. Getting these patients access to community resources is key.

Establishing Trust in the Healthcare System

However, it's not just financial burdens that hold patients back from seeking care — ultimately leading to disparities. Many patients don't seek medical care because they don't trust the healthcare system. To address the lack of trust, Dr. Isabel Scarinci, who is working with her local community at the University of Alabama to get more women access to preventative care for cervical cancer, said it's important for doctors working these outreach programs to be reliable — and "do what you say you're going to do." Cervical cancer prevention starts with getting more women access to the HPV vaccine and screening, but addressing disparities in cancer care and outcomes means that doctors must be able to treat the disease when they do find it — and must help local communities get access to this care when they need it.