February is Black History Month!

This month celebrates the significant accomplishments of many great Black Americans. Sadly, we note that Black men are 11% more likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer and 9.8% more likely to die of it than their White counterparts. Black Americans are less often diagnosed early, less often provided curative surgical therapy (or amazingly any treatment) and have worse 5 year survival rates. 

This is atrocious and must change. Now!

Disparities in healthcare affect real people. Fighting lung cancer is hard enough. In this modern era of Mar’s landers, smart phones and immunotherapy, it is unacceptable that someone fighting lung cancer must also worry that the color of their skin will impact their treatment and very survival. Research in healthcare disparities needs to identify the reason these racial differences exist and fix them. 

Unfortunately, previous research studies such as the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment treated Black Americans unethically and left an understandable lasting impact of distrust of research from Black Americans. In oncology trials, only 5% of participants are Black men and 2% are Black women. Reasons for these disparities range from distrust in the medical community to lack of opportunities to participate. If research does not include all people, we will not be able to cure lung cancer for all people. We cannot let lung cancer win.

By performing clinical trials that welcomes all people, our first two trials have enrolled 44.4% and 47.4% Black Americans. 

‘Cause No One Deserves to Die of Lung Cancer