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. Read More>