"PROJECT SUMMARY The proposed conference, titled "The Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved, " will be held from September 25-28, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. This proposed conference will be the tenth in an AACR series focused specifically on the science of cancer health disparities. The first conference on The Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved was held in 2007, then annually from 2009 - 2016. While most conferences on cancer health disparities focus on policy and public health issues, the goal of this conference is to incorporate perspectives from basic scientists and clinicians in conjunction with policy and public health. Transdisciplinary interactions between a variety of disciplines including basic science, clinical research, population science, behavioral research, and cancer survivorship, are needed to move the field forward and make progress in reducing and eliminating disparities as they relate to cancer. Racial and ethnic disparities in cancer rates are well documented. While data suggest that access to quality care contributes to cancer disparities, other factors also play a major role, including tumor biology, genetics, hormonal status, lifestyle and behavior, screening policies, comorbidities, environmental exposure and risk, quality of and response to therapy, and post- therapeutic surveillance. The goal of this conference and the conference series is to bring together scientists and other professionals working in a variety of disciplines to discuss the latest findings in the field and to stimulate the development of new research in cancer health disparities." |