“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.

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