Abstract
Greater attention to social factors, such as race/ethnicity, socioeconomic position, and others, are needed across the cancer continuum, including breast cancer, given differences in tumor biology and genetic variants have not completely explained the persistent Black/White breast cancer mortality disparity. In this commentary, we use examples in breast cancer risk assessment and survivorship to demonstrate how the failure to appropriately incorporate social factors into the design, recruitment, and analysis of research studies has resulted in missed opportunities to reduce persistent cancer disparities. The conclusion offers recommendations for how to better document and use information on social factors in cancer research and care by (1) increasing education and awareness about the importance of inclusion of social factors in clinical research; (2) improving testing and documentation of social factors by incorporating them into journal guidelines and reporting stratified results; and (3) including social factors to refine extant tools that assess cancer risk and assign cancer care. Implementing the recommended changes would enable more effective design and implementation of interventions and work toward eliminating cancer disparities by accounting for the social and environmental contexts in which cancer patients live and are treated.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 611-618 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Cancer Causes and Control |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| DOIs |
|
| State | Published - Jul 1 2018 |
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All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Oncology
- Cancer Research
Cite this
}
Social factors matter in cancer risk and survivorship. / Dean, Lorraine T.; Gehlert, Sarah; Neuhouser, Marian L.; Oh, April; Zanetti, Krista; Goodman, Melody; Thompson, Beti; Visvanathan, Kala; Schmitz, Kathryn H.
In: Cancer Causes and Control, Vol. 29, No. 7, 01.07.2018, p. 611-618.Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/debate
TY - JOUR
T1 - Social factors matter in cancer risk and survivorship
AU - Dean, Lorraine T.
AU - Gehlert, Sarah
AU - Neuhouser, Marian L.
AU - Oh, April
AU - Zanetti, Krista
AU - Goodman, Melody
AU - Thompson, Beti
AU - Visvanathan, Kala
AU - Schmitz, Kathryn H.
PY - 2018/7/1
Y1 - 2018/7/1
N2 - Greater attention to social factors, such as race/ethnicity, socioeconomic position, and others, are needed across the cancer continuum, including breast cancer, given differences in tumor biology and genetic variants have not completely explained the persistent Black/White breast cancer mortality disparity. In this commentary, we use examples in breast cancer risk assessment and survivorship to demonstrate how the failure to appropriately incorporate social factors into the design, recruitment, and analysis of research studies has resulted in missed opportunities to reduce persistent cancer disparities. The conclusion offers recommendations for how to better document and use information on social factors in cancer research and care by (1) increasing education and awareness about the importance of inclusion of social factors in clinical research; (2) improving testing and documentation of social factors by incorporating them into journal guidelines and reporting stratified results; and (3) including social factors to refine extant tools that assess cancer risk and assign cancer care. Implementing the recommended changes would enable more effective design and implementation of interventions and work toward eliminating cancer disparities by accounting for the social and environmental contexts in which cancer patients live and are treated.
AB - Greater attention to social factors, such as race/ethnicity, socioeconomic position, and others, are needed across the cancer continuum, including breast cancer, given differences in tumor biology and genetic variants have not completely explained the persistent Black/White breast cancer mortality disparity. In this commentary, we use examples in breast cancer risk assessment and survivorship to demonstrate how the failure to appropriately incorporate social factors into the design, recruitment, and analysis of research studies has resulted in missed opportunities to reduce persistent cancer disparities. The conclusion offers recommendations for how to better document and use information on social factors in cancer research and care by (1) increasing education and awareness about the importance of inclusion of social factors in clinical research; (2) improving testing and documentation of social factors by incorporating them into journal guidelines and reporting stratified results; and (3) including social factors to refine extant tools that assess cancer risk and assign cancer care. Implementing the recommended changes would enable more effective design and implementation of interventions and work toward eliminating cancer disparities by accounting for the social and environmental contexts in which cancer patients live and are treated.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85047791546&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85047791546&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10552-018-1043-y
DO - 10.1007/s10552-018-1043-y
M3 - Comment/debate
C2 - 29846844
AN - SCOPUS:85047791546
VL - 29
SP - 611
EP - 618
JO - Cancer Causes and Control
JF - Cancer Causes and Control
SN - 0957-5243
IS - 7
ER -