Miami, Fla. – Cancer deaths have dropped 33 percent since 1991, cancer but African American men and women are still more likely to die from the disease than other racial groups, according to the American Cancer Society.
Black men and women are less likely to survive a diagnosis of prostate, colon, uterine or breast cancer compared to Whites and those of Asian descent.
The incidence of prostate cancer in Black men reportedly is 70 percent higher than in White men, and prostate cancer mortality rates in Black men are two to four times higher than every other racial and ethnic group.
For all cancers combined, black men have the highest rate of new cancer diagnoses, and Asian/Pacific Islander men have the lowest rate of new cancer diagnoses, according to the National Cancer Institute.
The rate of new cases for men was 484.7 per 100,000 men per year and for women it was 419.9 per 100,000 women per year.
The rates are age-adjusted and based on 2015–2019 cases.
The disparity is attributed to lower socioeconomic status in the Black community which is linked to a higher prevalence of risk factors for cancer as well as less access to high-quality health care largely because of inadequate health insurance.
In addition, lacking are affordable screening programs in the Black community to detect cancer during its earliest stages so it can be treated.
U.S. Reps. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Democrats from Palm Beach and Broward counties, are working to reduce the number of cancer deaths in their districts. "We must do better as a nation and as a Congress to protect the lives of Black Americans from preventable and screenable death. I will fight to do just that in the 118th Congress," Cherfilus-McCormick said. "We must implement an aggressive approach to preventive health care to improve the overall health of our District."
Cherfilus-McCormick said nearly 120,000 Floridians in her 20th Congressional district are living without health insurance. She’s encouraging people to sign up as soon as possible.
"Through the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, Democrats extended lower ACA premiums to make healthcare more affordable and more attainable for all Americans," she said. "Four out of five HealthCare.gov enrollees can find coverage for $10 or less."
According to the recent US Census Bureau data, 19 percent of Black people lived below the federal poverty level and 28 percent had completed four years of college, compared to 7 percent and 41 percent, respectively, of White people.
About 224,080 new cancer cases in the U.S. were expected in 2022 with 73,680 cancer deaths among Blacks.
Florida had a total of 46,889 cancer deaths in 2021, according to the Florida Department of Health, with Miami-Dade leading the way with 4,266 deaths, Broward County with 3,324, and 3,323 for Palm Beach County.
Blacks accounted for 63 percent of cancer deaths in Florida in 2021.
Wasserman Schultz, a breast cancer survivor, was among a group in Congress who championed the Alcee Hastings Program for Advanced Cancer Screening in Under-Served Communities in 2021 following his death.
Hastings, the longest serving member in Congress, died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 84.
The federal program could help people in underserved communities have better access to cancer screening and treatment and address cancer disparities by directing funding for the National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers throughout the country.
“Congressman Hastings was a brilliant, fearless, giant-hearted advocate and a treasured friend and mentor,” said Wasserman Schultz. “Alcee Hastings always championed the least among us, and he knew what it meant to overcome. This initiative is a fitting tribute to him.”
Schultz is also championing efforts to reduce the number of cancer deaths among women in her district.
Schultz launched the Florida Breast and Cervical Cancer Program which increases access to cancer care and early detection for any uninsured people in her district who fall below the federal poverty line.
Shultz said Florida ranks last for the number of women under 65 in the United States who are insured which substantially reduces access to healthcare.
"The Promise Fund of Florida Breast and Cervical Screening and Cancer Program will provide access to 2,500 crucial early detection screenings and diagnostics with the goal to reduce mortality from late-stage breast and cervical cancer," she said.
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