For Immediate Release
April 23, 2008

BUFFALO – Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) will join government leaders from Buffalo and Niagara Falls in raising awareness about cancer and the importance of early detection among racial and ethnic minority groups during a news conference in recognition of  National Minority Cancer Awareness Week, Wednesday, April 23, in the Gaylord Cary Meeting Room, Research Studies Center at RPCI.

Mayor Byron Brown, Buffalo and Charles Walker, a member of the Niagara Falls Council, representing Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster, will read proclamations declaring April 20-26 as “National Minority Cancer Awareness Week” in their cities.

"I applaud Roswell Park Cancer Institute and the Institute's Office of Cancer Health Disparities Research for their effort in raising awareness of cancer health disparities among at-risk populations in Buffalo and throughout the region," said Mayor Brown. "This special week is an important vehicle to help educate the public of the risk factors that increase the risk of cancer and to provide valuable public health information that will particularly benefit ethnic populations and the medically underserved."

Mr. Walker adds, "America's overall health has actually declined by 0.3 percent since 2006. While improvements have been made in specific areas, including lower cancer rates, these improvements continue to be dwarfed by increasing numbers of uninsured people, children in poverty and the persistence of risky health behaviors, such as tobacco. African-Americans have a premature death rate 1.5 times higher and a cancer mortality rate 25 percent higher than Caucasians. This week we will get the message out and create dialog among those who really need to talk."

“Working with Western New York communities and organizations, the Office of Cancer Health Disparities Research (OCHDR) strives to provide integrated, community-based research to understand and reduce cancer disparities among minority groups so that everyone has the best possible chance in the fight against cancer,” said Deborah Erwin, PhD, Director of the Office of Cancer Health Disparities Research at RPCI. 

Life expectancy for those diagnosed with cancer has improved in recent years, however, not everyone has benefited. African-Americans and Hispanics, for example, are more often diagnosed with cancers in the later stages when cure is less likely. Complex factors contribute to disparities in cancer incidence and death among racial and ethnic groups, but the facts are clear.

• The death rate is 25% higher for African-Americans than for Caucasians for all types of cancer combined.
• Caucasian women are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer, yet African-American women are more likely to die from the disease.
• African-American men have the highest incidence for prostate cancer and are twice as likely as Caucasian men to die from the disease.
• Hispanic/Latino women are diagnosed more often for cervical cancer than Caucasian women.

The Office of Cancer Health Disparities Research at RPCI offers innovative and evolving programs designed to understand, reduce and ultimately eliminate disparities in cancer incidence and survival in Western New York and is dedicated to ensuring that all people in our region have access to and benefit from the advances in cancer research and treatment. OCHDR outreach and cancer awareness educational programs include:

Witness Project 

The Witness Project, originally developed in Arkansas under the direction of Dr. Erwin, is a screening and prevention program for African-American women. This collaboration with Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center is funded in part by the Western New York affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The Witness Project provides education about early cancer detection through stories told in churches and community settings by breast and cervical cancer survivors. The project also offers cancer risk assessments and assists women in accessing cancer services. 

Hispanic Outreach Activities

Esperanza y Vida (Hope and Life), funded in part by the American Cancer Society and the John R. Oishei Foundation, is a program aimed at increasing breast and cervical cancer screening in Hispanic women living in rural and urban areas and investigates barriers to cancer care.  To date, Esperanza y Vida at Roswell Park has conducted approximately 20 programs and provided educational information to more than 300 Latino men and women. 

For more information, please contact Terry Alford at terry.alford@roswellpark.org or call 1-877-ASK-RPCI (1-877-275-7724).

Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI), founded in 1898, is the nation’s first cancer research, treatment and education center and is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Upstate New York. RPCI is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation’s leading cancer centers. RPCI has affiliate sites and collaborative programs in New York, Pennsylvania, and China. For more information, visit RPCI’s website at www.roswellpark.org, call 1-877-ASK-RPCI (1-877-275-7724) or e-mail askrpci@roswellpark.org.

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