Public Policy Resources

Our ability to continue to make progress against cancer relies heavily on eliminating the inequities that exist in the prevention and early detection of cancer. This factsheet explores how health outcomes vary across groups, barriers to cancer screenings, and how ACS CAN is taking action.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network^® (NCCN^®), ACS CAN and the National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) share new ideas for overcoming inequality in oncology. The recommendations address how medical systems in the United States often disproportionately fail minority patients and draws on polling data to help call for urgent action.

Research shows that while overall cancer mortality rates in the U.S. are dropping, populations that have been marginalized are bearing a disproportionate burden of preventable death and disease. Researchers and policymakers need timely collection and publication of demographic data to identify disparities to improve health equity in cancer prevention, detection, and treatment.

Telehealth can help to reduce health disparities and improve health outcomes for all individuals, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or zip code by providing cancer patients with a means of accessing both cancer care and primary care.

Despite notable advances in cancer prevention, screening, and treatment, not all individuals benefit equally from this important progress. This fact sheet provides an overview of current health disparities in cancer care and a snapshot of ACS CAN federal advocacy activities to eliminate these disparities and achieve health equity.

In order to reduce cancer mortality we must fight to achieve health equity, the just and fair opportunity for everyone to prevent, find, treat and survive cancer. This document shows a snapshot of how ACS CAN is fighting for health equity at the national, state and local levels.

Research is critical to understanding and reducing cancer disparities, as well as examining gaps in cancer prevention and care delivery that contribute to these disparities. Clinical trials are a key part of research and enable the development of better drugs and treatments for cancer.

All individuals should have equitable access to quality cancer care and equal opportunity to live a healthy life. Our ability to continue to make progress against cancer relies heavily on eliminating the inequities that exist in cancer care.

Although tobacco-related cancer incidence and mortality have declined in the U.S., we continue to see disparities by socioeconomic status (SES), race/ethnicity, educational level, gender, sexual orientation, and geographic location. Our ability to continue to make progress against cancer relies h