The COVID-19 pandemic has raised awareness and sharpened the discussion of systemic racial disparities in the U.S. health care system. These inequities existed long before the pandemic and have been recognized for decades, yet they continue and, in some cases, have worsened.

Cancer consistently ranks as one of the leading causes of death in the country, providing a focal point for a deeper conversation about the many factors contributing to the racial inequities we see in cancer outcomes, care, and treatment.

KFF and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) hosted a web event on February 3, 2022 featuring oncologists, patient advocates, and policy researchers with expertise in equity and cancer care to examine persistent racial disparities in cancer. Expert panelists shared real-life experiences, provided context on the latest data, and discussed a range of actions which could help ensure that all individuals with cancer receive the highest quality, equitable cancer care and help to eliminate disparities in cancer outcomes.

The event featured the release of a KFF brief presenting the latest data on racial cancer disparities and discussing the multiple factors that drive them.

Panel Moderator
• Samantha Artiga, Vice President and Director of the Racial Equity and Health Policy Program at KFF

Overview of Latest Data on Cancer Disparities
• Latoya Hill, Senior Policy Analyst, Racial Equity and Health Policy, KFF

Perspectives
• Carol Brown, MD, FACOG, FACS, Senior Vice President and Chief Health Equity Officer, Nicholls-Biondi Chair for Health Equity, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
• Wenora Johnson, Research/Patient Advocate representing Fight Colorectal Cancer and Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
• Lori Pierce, MD, FASCO, FASTRO, Professor and Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs, University of Michigan; Director, Michigan Radiation Oncology Quality Consortium; Board Chair of the American Society of Clinical Oncology

Audience Q&A with panelists and co-author of forthcoming brief, Michelle Tong, MD Candidate, UCSF-KFF Health Policy Fellow.