When: July 2004
Where: Washington, DC
Institute: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)

It is well known that cancer is often detected in minorities and underserved populations at a late stage in the disease process. This has a significant negative impact on physicians' ability to successfully treat the disease.

With this in mind, NCI has launched a community-based initiative at the NIAMS Community Health Center in the Cardozo-Shaw neighborhood in northwest Washington, D.C., to provide cancer screening and evaluation. The initiative is a three-way collaboration between NCI, the NIAMS, and Unity Health Care—a nonprofit agency offering medical care and human services primarily to homeless and medically underserved patients.

In the past, the health center's focus has been the treatment of rheumatic diseases, such as arthritis, gout, and lupus. But now, NCI cancer specialists will evaluate and treat people who have breast, lung, or prostate cancer. By seeing patients in the Cardozo-Shaw neighborhood, the NCI hopes to better understand the factors that contribute to cancer health disparities, and to learn more about who gets cancer and why, how genes play a role in cancer, and how to prevent and treat cancer.

Next Steps
For more information on the NCI initiative, call Martin Gutierrez, M.D., or Shivaani Kummar, M.D., at (301) 496-0931.