Strategies for Overcoming Disparities for Patients With Hematologic Malignancies and for Improving Enrollment on...

A multitude of factors contribute to cancer disparities, including, but not limited to, differences in diet, lifestyle, environmental exposures, cultural beliefs, genetic and biological factors related to ancestry, socioeconomic status (SES), and access to health care. More investigation is needed in evaluating these factors in less common cancers and hematological malignancies. Addressing disparities in cancer incidence, prevalence, burden of disease, mortality, and survivorship that have been documented among racial/ethnic minority populations with blood cancers will require multilevel models of the interactions between relevant factors and performance of translational research that uses knowledge of cancer biology to develop and test the feasibility of interventions that can impact human end points. Such work must address a wide range of research areas, including prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment, epidemiology, cancer control, treatment, and survivorship. To be effective, efforts should be made to advance these research findings to applications that can transform clinical practice and health care delivery. We reviewed the literature to define a framework for overcoming disparities for patients with hematologic malignancies and to improve patient enrollment on clinical trials.