Cancer patients and clinicians in underserved and marginalized communities have new resources thanks to three initiatives launched this month by the nonprofit Cancer Equity Project to help address disparities in cancer care.

Total Health, a provider of free oncology continuing education throughout the country, formed the Cancer Equity Project to provide solutions that will contribute to more equitable clinical research and care for people with cancer living in underserved communities.

The nonprofit focuses on racial disparities in cancer care. Black women diagnosed with breast cancer, for example, are more likely to die of the disease than white women, according to the National Cancer Institute. Meanwhile, Black men with prostate cancer are twice as likely to die of the disease than white men. What’s more, Black men have the highest prostate cancer mortality rate of any population group, and Latina and Black women have the highest rates of cervical cancer compared with women of other racial or ethnic groups.

To combat these disparities, the Cancer Equity Project established the SEEK Color Certificate Program, an initiative that encourages cancer care teams to continue their education to help better serve patients of color. The initiative offers virtual and in person workshops free for all health care providers and prioritizes diversity, equity and inclusion accountability. The first virtual workshop will be held May 20, 2023.

“While there is a genuine focus on diversity, equality and inclusion in cancer care, many organizations are too large or centralized to meaningfully connect with multiple stakeholders simultaneously,” said Sara Louden, the founder and CEO of Total Health, in a news release. “With Cancer Equity Project, we’re bridging the gap and developing resources specifically designed for marginalized communities that have been disproportionately burdened by cancer and experience greater obstacles to cancer prevention, early detection, treatment and survival.” 

The Cancer Equity Project also launched Compass Cancer Journey Map, an interactive resource to empower cancer patients through education, and EBONY B001, the first clinical trial for younger Black women with early-stage hormone-receptor-positive, high-risk breast cancer.

“There is an urgency to address growing disparities in cancer care for marginalized groups,” Louden said. “We hope that Cancer Equity Project will not only provide impactful solutions for underserved communities but be a catalyst to people working together in public and private advocacy, education and partnerships to change some of these statistics.”

To learn more, visit cancerequityproject.org.