Cancer Prevention and Care
We promote early detection screenings and environmental policy changes that benefit African Americans.
African Americans
and Cancer
African Americans experience higher cancer incidence, higher mortality rates, and poorer survival rates than whites and other racial groups.
Cancer health disparities can be linked to delayed diagnosis, lack of health insurance, inadequate access to quality cancer treatment, and poor patient care. The Center for Black Health & Equity works to eliminate these inequities in Black communities through education, training and community collaboration to increase awareness of cancer risks. Innovative approaches to engagment also lead African Americans to cancer prevention and treatment activities.
The Facts
According to the CDC:
Prostate cancer is the leading cause of death among Black people in the United States with 36.7 per 100,000 dying in 2020.
- Black people have the highest overall cancer death rate of all racial groups.
- In 2020, 70,963 Black, non-Hispanic people died of cancer.
- In 2018, less than half of women (44%) without health insurance were up to date with their breast cancer screenings compared to 77% of women with insurance.
