Department of Medicine, Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond VA.
Cancer J. 2022;28(2):138-145. doi: 10.1097/PPO.0000000000000590.
Cancer health disparities have been well documented among different populations in the United States for decades. While the cause of these disparities is multifactorial, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the structural barriers to health and health care and the gaps in public health infrastructure within the United States. The most long-standing inequities are rooted in discriminatory practices, current and historical, which have excluded and disenfranchised many of the most vulnerable populations in the nation. These systemic barriers are themselves a public health crisis, resulting in increased mortality rates in communities of color from both COVID-19 and cancer. While implementing programs to temporarily improve cancer equity locally or regionally is laudable, it is imperative to develop a public health strategy focused on alleviating the root causes of health inequities to improve the health and well-being of every citizen and ensure readiness for the next public health emergency.
几十年来，美国不同人群的癌症健康差距一直有大量记录。尽管造成这些差距的原因是多方面的，但 COVID-19 大流行凸显了美国健康和医疗保健方面的结构性障碍，以及公共卫生基础设施方面的差距。最长期存在的不平等现象源于歧视性做法，这些做法目前和历史上一直排斥和剥夺了美国许多最脆弱人群的权利。这些系统性障碍本身就是一场公共卫生危机，导致有色人种社区的 COVID-19 和癌症死亡率上升。虽然实施旨在暂时改善当地或地区癌症公平的计划是值得称赞的，但制定一项以缓解健康不平等根本原因为重点的公共卫生战略至关重要，以改善每个公民的健康和福祉，并为下一次公共卫生紧急情况做好准备。
