Disparities in Cancer Incidence and Outcomes

Abstract

Considerable progress has been made in reducing the incidence, morbidity, and mortality of several cancers across the United States in recent decades. Nevertheless, the progress has been uneven with many areas of persistent disparities based on racial/ethnic, rural/urban, and geographical factors. In many cases, these determinants of disparities intersect to increase the overall burden of cancer on affected populations. The intersectionality of these determinants ‐ race, class, and gender – interact and overlap with genomic factors. Thus dedicated resources and funding are required to dissect the roles of these factors and the genomic inheritance.In this panel, speakers will discuss recent research findings, novel methods, and emerging technologies – polygenic genomic methods, epigenomics, gene‐environment interaction research, artificial intelligence, etc. ‐ that would enable appropriate interventions to reduce disparities in cancer incidence and outcomes. Clinical and research ethics, community engagement and community participatory and co‐produced research that is responsive to the highest priorities of populations most affected by health disparities would also be discussed as ways to earn and secure community participation in research production, dissemination and implementation of research findings.