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Brief Description:

Do you know someone who has been impacted by cancer? Maybe it was a friend or family member? A cancer diagnosis can be frightening because many people still mistakenly believe that cancer is almost always fatal.

Transcript:

Akinso: Do you know someone who has been impacted by cancer? Maybe it was a friend or family member? A cancer diagnosis can be frightening because many people still mistakenly believe that cancer is almost always fatal.

Fagan: One of the things we know is that most cancers can be prevented. And so in addition to people knowing that most cancers can be prevented that is through their lifestyle factors, such as the use of tobacco as well as physical activity and dietary behaviors.

Akinso: Dr. Pebbles Fagan is a Health Scientist, at the National Cancer Institute.

Fagan: We also know that many communities may not know that there are a number of screenings that are available to them, that would actually help them to detect cancer early.

Akinso: April 20 through April 26 is National Minority Cancer Awareness Week, and the NCI is taking this time to encourage many African Americans to checkout some of the NCI's accurate and evidence-based information about cancer. Dr. Fagan says this week is designed to increase awareness for the prevention and treatment of cancer.

Fagan: NCI is really pleased to observe National Minority Cancer Awareness Week, which is this week-April 20th through the 26th. This week NCI would like to emphasize a couple of things. And that is-we encourage communities to learn more about cancer risk factors such as tobacco use, learn more about screenings, and other preventable measures such as getting a pap exam or a colonoscopy and discuss with your family and friends what you can do to lower your cancer risk. We also want you to learn more about different treatment options including clinical trials. And learn more about local and national events that address health disparities in populations such as African Americans.

Akinso: For all cancers combined, the death rate is 25 percent higher for African Americans than for Caucasians. Dr. Fagan shares the resources NCI offers to help awareness.

Fagan: Well NCI has a number of resources for the public as well as for the professionals. We have a 1-800-4-Cancer phone number that is toll free. Anyone can call that number at anytime. And that number is sponsored by the NCI's Cancer Information Service, which educates the public about cancer prevention, the many risk factors, the symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and it also has information on the research that NCI sponsors. This is a free service. In addition to 1-800-4-cancer, we have live help in www.cancer.gov. So if you have internet access you can get live online assistance, through LiveHelp's instant messaging service. In addition to that information specialist can answer your questions about cancer through www.cancer.gov.

Akinso: NCI publications are also available at www.cancer.gov, or 1-800-4-cancer. This is Wally Akinso at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.