What You Should Know:
– Cedars-Sinai Cancer is taking a major step towards addressing health disparities by participating in the largest-ever national study focused on cancer risk factors in Asian Americans.
– The initiative, funded by the National Cancer Institute, aims to uncover the reasons behind the disproportionately high rates of cancer within various Asian American communities.
Uncovering the Causes of Cancer Disparities
The study, which plans to enroll 20,000 participants over the next four years, will gather crucial data on cancer risk factors specific to Asian Americans. Cedars-Sinai, playing a leading role in this national effort, is tasked with recruiting 4,680 individuals from diverse Asian American communities, including Asian Indian, Bangladeshi, Cambodian, Filipino, Korean, Pakistani, Thai, and others.
Researchers are particularly interested in understanding the alarming increases in certain cancers among Asian Americans, such as:
- Breast cancer: Higher rates observed in Korean and Filipino women.
- Thyroid cancer: Increased incidence across all Asian ethnicities.
- Lung cancer: Elevated rates among Asian American women who have never smoked.
Making Participation Accessible
To ensure broad participation, the study will utilize online questionnaires, eliminating the need for in-person visits to Cedars-Sinai. However, for those who prefer in-person assistance, staff fluent in multiple languages will be available to help participants complete the questionnaires at Cedars-Sinai or over the phone.
“Cancer is the leading cause of death in most Asian American ethnic groups, a fact that has been understudied for years,” said Zul Surani, associate director of Community Outreach and Engagement at Cedars-Sinai Cancer and the Cancer Research Center for Health Equity at Cedars-Sinai. “Because of our continual work to build partnerships in the community, Cedars-Sinai is well positioned to contribute to this incredibly important undertaking.”
