Few of us will make it through life without being impacted in some way by cancer, and many are familiar with key factors that contribute to cancer risk — both within and beyond our control — like tobacco use and a family history of cancer. Fewer realize how factors such as race, gender and even where they live can place them at higher risk of dying from the disease.
In our region, health disparities are evident across the 87 counties in Virginia and West Virginia served by the University of Virginia Cancer Center, one of only 54 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers. Lung cancer is diagnosed more frequently than the national average, and Black residents face higher rates of diagnosis and death for breast and colorectal cancer than their white neighbors. The most significant difference is seen in the disproportionate impact of prostate cancer, which is nearly twice as common in Black men, while those diagnosed face more than double the death rate of whites.
Community health organizations play a crucial role in reducing disparities, ranging from public education about the risks associated with tobacco use and screening guidelines for various cancers, to facilitating screening and even transportation to wellness visits. The UVa Cancer Center partners with these organizations to address disparities and advance discoveries to improve cancer prevention, detection and treatment.
The UVa Cancer Center addresses disparities through its Office of Community Outreach and Engagement, directly engaging communities most impacted by cancer. Together, community members and organizations provide health education, navigation and opportunities for community-based research offering a more individualized approach to addressing the impact of cancer in communities across Virginia and West Virginia.
For the first time this fall, UVa Cancer Center convened researchers and community partners from across the region for a two-day Cancer Health Disparities Symposium. In more than 30 presentations, UVa faculty heard directly from the community on efforts to address cancer in their communities, while those community members learned about the latest research in progress.
Addressing rural disparities was a major theme of the symposium. Representing Jonesville’s Stone Mountain Health Inc., director of nursing Sabrina Mitchell, MSN, DNPS, APRN, BC, and patient navigator Jessica Clark, RN, shared an analysis of thousands of cases in which their rural patients refused recommended cancer screenings. To get to the root of this, they identified many barriers to care, such as lack of transportation. Their findings and resulting interventions led to a 10% increase in cancer screenings in 2023.
Faculty presenters included UVa School of Medicine’s Jamie Zoellner, PhD, RD, who discussed ongoing evaluation of Kids SIPsmartER, a UVa-designed school curriculum in Appalachia that has shown effectiveness in reducing consumption of sugary drinks, which are known to elevate cancer risk.
While our region confronts pronounced cancer disparities, we are well-positioned to reduce disparities thanks to the dedication, commitment and leadership of partners from the communities across the area. With our innovative research, additional resources and continued collaboration, we can reduce the burden of cancer across our region and beyond — together.
Michelle Brauns is CEO of the Community Health Center of the New River Valley and a member of the UVa Cancer Center Community Advisory Council. Wendy Cohn is a professor of public health science at the UVa School of Medicine and the cancer center’s associate director for community outreach and engagement.