University of Ottawa identifies large gaps in research on how common types of cancer affect Black people in Canada

The Interdisciplinary Centre for Black Health’s looked for data on incidence, stage of cancer at diagnosis, type of care received and other factors. It found no data related to Black people. By comparison, U.S. research found breast cancer was more aggressive in Black women than in white women. As a result, healthcare guidelines in that country were modified to call for earlier screening for Black women. The study also found that members of Black communities were more likely than their white counterparts to voluntarily get screened for cancers. As a result, they tend to receive diagnoses later, increasing mortality rates. Experts say this hesitancy is due to an ingrained fear of the healthcare system – a fear compounded by a general lack of awareness within Black communities due to the absence of research into how different cancers affect them.