Although cancer incidence is rising for many common cancers, cancer mortality rates continue to decline. The age-adjusted cancer death rate has dropped by 34% since its peak in 1991 [1]. This drop can be attributed to factors including early cancer detection, smoking cessation, and treatment advancements that have led to steady declines in the four most common types of cancer (breast, colorectal, lung, and prostate).
Despite the overall drop in death rates, alarming racial disparities in cancer mortality also persist. Broad and equitable use of interventions is necessary to improve access to care and reduce cancer disparities. Keep reading to learn more about these cancer disparities and how at-home healthcare solutions can help.
Cancer disparities in the United States
While there has been progress in cancer prevention, detection, and treatment in the past few decades, cancer disparities remain a major issue in the United States. Differences in economic stability, education access and quality, health care access and quality, neighborhood and built environment, and social and community context create the conditions that contribute to health disparities. Without attention and action, these social determinants of health can widen the inequities in cancer care and outcomes.
Disparities in cancer screening
Cancer screenings are important because they can help detect cancer early when it's easier to treat and cure or also help prevent cancer from developing. Despite the benefits of early cancer screening and detection, research has shown that the overall rate of cancer screening is lower among Black, Hispanic, Asian, and AIAN populations compared to their White counterparts [2].
Participation in cancer screening is related to multiple factors, such as provider recommendation, shared decision-making between patients and providers, perceptions of cancer screening, and gender differences in cancer screening behaviors, which may vary across communities. However, it is also important to note that screening patterns vary across screening types, and people of color are more likely than White people to receive certain types of cancer screening.
Disparities in cancer diagnosis stage
Early cancer detection is crucial as it enables timely intervention and better health outcomes and survival rates. The earlier the cancer is diagnosed, the better, as early-stage cancers are usually less complicated to treat and have better outcomes after treatment.
Black people were the most likely of all races to have a late-stage diagnosis of cancers that have a recommended screening. The American Cancer Society has found that, among individuals diagnosed with cancers for which screening is recommended (lung, colorectum, female breast, cervix, and prostate), Black people had the lowest percentage of localized-stage cancer and the highest percentage of distant-stage cancer compared with other racial and ethnic groups (except for prostate cancer) [3].
Additionally, people living in counties with the highest average household income and in more populated cities generally were more likely to have an early-stage diagnosis of cancer and less likely to have a late-stage diagnosis in the breast, cervix, or lung compared to people living in other counties. The American Cancer Society has found that early-stage lung cancer was diagnosed in 27% of people with lung cancer who lived where the average income was $75,000 a year or higher and only in 20% of people in counties where the average income was $35,000 a year or less [4].
Disparities in cancer survival and cancer death rates
Social determinants of health also significantly impact cancer survival and death rates. These influencing factors impact access to healthcare, lifestyle choices, early detection, and treatment adherence and can contribute to delayed diagnosis, poorer treatment compliance, and increased risk of cancer development, ultimately resulting in higher cancer death rates in affected populations.
Cancer death rates are highest among Black people and lowest among Asian Pacific Islander (API) populations, while cancer death rates are higher in the South and Appalachia regions of the United States [4]. Black-White differences in death rates also increase based on education levels for all types of cancers combined. For example, according to the American Cancer Society, the risk of dying from breast cancer was 25% higher in Black women compared to White women who had 12 years or less of education, while the risk was 70% higher in Black women compared to White women who had 16 or more years of education [4].
How LetsGetChecked can help address disparities in cancer
Leveraging home solutions as a complement to existing care can help make cancer screening more accessible for all. LetsGetChecked’s at-home healthcare modalities can meet the needs of today’s increasingly diverse and dispersed population and empower them to take control of their health. By meeting people where they are with cancer screening, we can overcome barriers to health equity to improve outcomes, reduce costs, improve patient experiences, and allow for a future where every person has access to the care they need.
References
- https://www.cancer.org/content/dam/cancer-org/research/cancer-facts-and-statistics/annual-cancer-facts-and-figures/2025/2025-cancer-facts-and-figures-acs.pdf
- https://www.kff.org/racial-equity-and-health-policy/issue-brief/racial-disparities-in-cancer-outcomes-screening-and-treatment
- https://www.kff.org/racial-equity-and-health-policy/issue-brief/racial-disparities-in-cancer-outcomes-screening-and-treatment
- https://www.cancer.org/research/acs-research-highlights/cancer-health-disparities-research/state-of-cancer-disparities-in-the-united-states.html
