Statistics show that lung cancer has a disproportionate impact on communities of color.
A new GHN Commentary outlines steps that can be taken to end health disparities related to this diagnosis.
“Lung cancer adversely affects certain communities partly due to a history of targeted advertisement by tobacco companies, a disproportionate number of people of color living in areas with poor air quality, and some minorities’ limited access to high-quality, affordable health care,’’ write Rochelle Smalls, executive director for the American Lung Association in Georgia, and Dr. Daniel Miller, a thoracic surgeon for Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Atlanta.
“Blacks, Latinos and Native Americans diagnosed with lung cancer face worse outcomes compared to white Americans because they are less likely to be diagnosed early, less likely to receive surgical treatment, and indeed less likely to receive any treatment,’’ the authors write.