National Black Family Cancer Awareness Week

The National Minority Quality Forum is pleased to join an effort by the FDA Oncology Center of Excellence to recognize National Black Family Cancer Awareness Week.

The FDA’s initiative began in 2021 coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the National Cancer Act and the signing of Presidential Executive Order 13985, to increase cancer awareness in one of the most vulnerable segments of the U.S, population.

This initiative, now a year-round project, aims to marshal community-based stakeholders to build knowledge surrounding cancer clinical trial participation and minority population specimen donations to national genomic databases for cancer research.

Through the Cancer Stage Shifting Initiative, NMQF is focused on the following:
— Closing the screening gap in Black communities nationwide
— Addressing cancer concern in Black communities experiencing environmental exposure

Recently, on April 19, 2023, NMQF convened a White House discussion on disparities in cancer care for vulnerable and historically disenfranchised communities, the importance of working hand-in-hand on the community-level to address cancer inequities, and the need for collaboration on a national effort to close the gap in cancer screening.

The briefing, which was a part of NMQF’s Cancer Stage Shifting Initiative and the Biden Administration’s Cancer Moonshot 2.0 Initiative, and led by NMQF President and CEO Gary A. Puckrein, brought together stakeholders from the oncology community, minority health organizations, cancer experts and patient advocates.

Watch the video replays now to learn more about how NMQF is working collaboratively to end cancer as we know it.

Fifty-six percent of minoritized people live near carcinogenic toxic sites.

The disproportionate burden of cancer in historically marginalized communities is highly impacted by redlining that forced specific demographics to live with high environmental burden. Only 5 to 10% of all cancer cases are due to genetic defects, and the remaining 90 to 95% are due to environment and lifestyle.

People of color receive late-stage diagnoses and do not have the same access to treatment for many types of cancer compared to their white counterparts.