Remarkable Chance to Make a Difference: Merck’s Executive Director of Health Equity On How To Improve Outcomes For Black Cancer Patients

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The staggering differences in outcomes for Black cancer patients and other people of color – and those with limited incomes – is one of the greatest problems in healthcare. SurvivorNet focuses on this issue year-round, and we think it’s important that our community hears from one of the most senior people involved in trying to make progress on the issue at one of the top players in oncology.

With all the attention put on addressing disparities and outcomes in cancer care for people of color, not a lot of it is given to making progress at the community level. Josette Gbemudu, the Executive Director of Health Equity at Merck, thinks this community education is critical.

“We know that black women and African American women are disproportionately impacted with triple-negative breast cancer: high incidents, high mortality relative to other racial demographics and groups across the country,” Gbemudu told SurvivorNet when we sat down with her at the ASCO Annual Meeting, the largest cancer conference in the world.

Triple-negative breast cancer is one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. That's because the cancer is not fueled by any of the three main types of receptors estrogen, progesterone, or the HER2 protein. This type of breast cancer won't respond to certain treatments that target these receptors.

So the need for innovative approaches to treating this cancer is imperative to getting Black women the care they need.

For example, Merck’s Keytruda (pembrolizumab) has been a significant addition to the treatment options for triple-negative patients. It’s a type of immunotherapy called a checkpoint inhibitor, which specifically targets proteins (like PD-L1) found either on immune or cancer cells to prevent their binding together.

Keytruda is helping women live longer. It’s approved to treat early stage triple-negative breast cancer in the neoadjuvant and adjuvant setting when there’s a high risk of the cancer returning. It’s also approved for use when the cancer has returned, tests positive for the PD-L1 protein, and either cannot be removed with surgery or has advanced.

The Power of Education

Beyond innovative drugs, improving healthcare equity involves bringing “culturally relevant, culturally sensitive and competent information” to the people who need it most.

Merck developed the “Uncovering Triple-Negative Breast Cancer” campaign that focused on the top states where they saw high or rising rates of the aggressive disease. By bringing culturally relevant information right to the women in these areas, using the right channels, these people could understand their risks and options in tangible ways they might not have before.

“Arming populations, communities … with data to help them make informed decisions is so critical to help them understand their risk,” Gbemudu said.

This approach can help empower women – and all patients – to take ownership of their health in a meaningful and informed way, so they can seek the care they deserve.

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