We know more about cancer prevention, detection, and treatment than ever before-yet not all segments of the U.S. population have benefited to the fullest extent possible from advances in our understanding of cancer. Some ethnic minorities experience more cancer than the majority population, and poor people- no mater what their ethnicity-often lack access to adequate cancer care.
The Unequal Burden of Cancer provides an authoritative view of cancer as it is experienced by ethnic minorities and the medically underserved. The panel offers conclusions and recommendations in these areas:
-- Defining and understanding special populations, and improving the collection of cancer-related data.
-- Setting appropriate priorities for and increasing the effectiveness of specific NIH research programs, to ensure that special populations are represented in clinical trials.
-- Disseminating research results to health professionals serving these populations, with sensitivity to the issues of cancer survivorship.
The committee recommends a mechanism for annual reporting on the status of cancer research among these populations. Additionally, the book provides a wealth of background information on the nation's struggle against cancer, the activities and expenditures of National Institutes of Health, and other relevant topics.
The Unequal Burden of Cancer will be of interest to federal health authorities, health care providers and researchers, advocates for ethic minorities and underserved populations, and medical faculty and students.