Cancer can affect anyone from the youngest babies and children all the way up to the oldest citizens, but some minority groups have higher occurrence rates and lower survival rates than others.  Brevard Medical Equipmentwants everyone to have the best health possible and encourages healthy lifestyles, disease management and cancer screenings for all people.

Certain racial and ethnic groups are at risk for various types of cancers more than others.

The third week of April of each year is set aside as National Minority Cancer Awareness Week to bring awareness to these discrepancies and open dialogues about improving the health of all people. The research done on these cancer-affected groups focuses on both the rate of getting diagnosed with cancer and the survival rates.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cancer death rates for women are highest among blacks, followed by whites, Hispanics, and Asian/Pacific Islanders.

Cancer diagnosis rates versus survival rates among African-Americans are alarming and show a large discrepancy compared to white Americans.

• African-American women are 40 percent more likely to develop cervical cancer caused by the STD human papillomavirus (HPV), and 20 percent more likely to die from it compared to white women.
• Although African-Americans are 10 times less likely to get skin cancer than whites, they have more complications and higher death rates.
• African-American men were almost twice as likely to have new cases of stomach cancer as white men.
• African-American women are twice as likely to have been diagnosed with stomach cancer as white women, and they are about 2.5 times as likely to die from stomach cancer, as compared to non-Hispanic white women.

Cancer is the leading cause of death among Hispanics (heart disease causes the most deaths among blacks and whites). Poverty and reduced access to medical services worsen the Hispanic cancer burden resulting in Hispanics have lower cancer screening rates and are diagnosed with cancer at later stages, when treatment options are more limited and less successful.

Although Hispanics have a lower risk than whites or blacks for the most common types of cancer (lung, breast, prostate, and colon), they have a higher risk for cancers related to infectious agents like the human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV related cervical cancer incidence rates among Hispanic women are about 60% higher than those among non-Hispanic whites.

Lifestyle changes and screenings are the best weapons against cancer. Follow-up care is vital for those that have been diagnosed and are being treated or any types of cancer. For people living with cancer, Brevard Medical Equipment has equipment and supplies to improve your life. Please see us for wheelchairs, hospital beds, oxygen and respiratory equipment or anything else that will make the journey through cancer safer and more comfortable.