The Cancer Equity Project will initially focus on three initiatives.
Total Health, the largest provider of free oncology continuing education in the United States, has launched the Cancer Equity Project, a nonprofit organization designed to promote health equity in cancer care.
Cancer disparities include incidence, mortality, morbidity, and stage at diagnosis, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Contributing factors to cancer disparities include social determinants of health, behavior, biology, and genetics, the NCI says.
The overall mission of the Cancer Equity Project is to promote health equity in cancer patients, so everyone can live their lives to the fullest, says Sharon Gill, executive director of the nonprofit. "We want to elevate the voice of underrepresented groups in cancer care. We will be looking at the disparities in cancer care and bringing them to the forefront. We want everyone to have a fair shot."
There is a need for an organization such as the Cancer Equity Project because there are many serious cancer disparities, she says. "Black women are 40% more likely to die from breast cancer than White women. Black men have a prostate cancer death rate that is more than twice the rate for White men. Hispanic children are 20% more likely to die of leukemia than non-Hispanic White children. Men living in the poorest U.S. counties have a colorectal cancer death rate that is 35% higher than men in affluent counties."
Total Health is well-positioned to help address cancer disparities, Gill says. "We have access to data and information. Total Health works with the medical community, and the Cancer Equity Project is going to be focusing on the patient community. We want to impact healthcare disparity numbers."
Initiallly, the Cancer Equity Project will be focusing on three initiatives.
1. Healthcare Provider Certificate Program
The SEEK Color Certificate Program will provide training to healthcare providers focused on inherent biases, Gill says.
"In terms of the disparities in cancer care, one of the things we know is that there are inherent biases in the healthcare system, and what we are trying to do is educate healthcare providers on the inherent biases. These are not malicious—just inherent. The certificate program is working in tandem with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) experts and DEI speakers to talk about some of the barriers. It could be unconscious bias or unconscious microaggression," she says.
The Cancer Equity Project will be bringing DEI speakers who can help draw attention to how doctors are interacting with patients and how patient questionnaires are written, Gill says. "We want to expose to the medical community that there are differences in how a Black patient may respond to a doctor. There are differences when Black patients are asked about their medical history—they may not have those answers based on cultural and economic status. We are going to train doctors to understand how to work with underrepresented groups."
Healthcare providers can earn a certificate by participating in three workshops, she says.
2. Patient education
The Cancer Equity Project has developed Compass Cancer Journey Maps to help cancer patients have educated shared decision-making conversations with their healthcare teams, Gill says. "When you go to a doctor, you often only have 15 minutes to talk—whether they are an oncologist or a primary care physician. You have a limited time to speak with your doctor. What we have found is that if you are an uneducated patient about your condition, the doctor will make decisions for you."
The Compass Cancer Journey Maps will arm patients with information about next steps and expectations, she says. "So, when you go to your doctor, you can have an intelligent and educated conversation. At that point, you can make decisions together with your doctor because you will be more informed. Doctors do not have the time in their office visits to give you much information, so we are trying to give patients the information that they need."
3. Clinical trial
The Cancer Equity Project is launching the EBONY-B001 clinical trial, which will focus on younger Black Women with early, hormone receptor-positive clinically high-risk but genomic low-risk breast cancer. The goal of the clinical trial is see whether this patient population can avoid chemotherapy by using ovarian function suppression in combination with endocrine therapy.
The EBONY-B001 clinical trial will address an unmet need in cancer research, Gill says. "Of the people who are taking part in clinical trials, a small percentage of those people are Black women. Many Black women do not have access to cutting-edge medication that is coming out; or, worse, medications are developed that are not necessarily suitable for Black women or other patients from underrepresented groups."
Related: Health Equity: 'First and Foremost, It Is a Moral Imperative'
Christopher Cheney is the CMO editor at HealthLeaders.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The Cancer Equity Project is offering a certificate program for healthcare providers that focuses on inherent biases.
The nonprofit organization is also offering patient education to cancer patients that includes information on next steps in treatment and expectations.
The Cancer Equity Project is launching a clinical trial for young Black women with early, hormone receptor-positive clinically high-risk but genomic low-risk breast cancer.