Cancer education program sheds light on Appalachian disparities
Some Kentuckians are more likely to be diagnosed with cancer and more likely to die from the disease than others.
Dr. Nathan Vanderford, associate professor of toxicology and cancer biology at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, said Kentucky has a massive cancer problem. The Commonwealth ranks first in the nation for overall cancer incidence rates and second for overall cancer mortality rates, around 30,000 cases each year and 10,000 deaths. He added Appalachia is ground zero for cancer.
“What’s worse is that the cancer problem is significantly greater in eastern Kentucky,” Vanderford pointed out. “There are 54 counties in Eastern Kentucky that are in the Appalachian region and cancer rates there are significantly higher.”
Lung cancer incidence rates are more than 100% higher in Eastern Kentucky versus the national average. Appalachian Kentucky residents are 8% more likely to die from a preventable or screenable cancer than their non-Appalachian counterparts.
Vanderford pointed out more than 150 Appalachian students have participated in the Appalachian Career Training in Oncology program, an education and intervention program aiming to address cancer disparities. Dozens of participants have gone on to medical school.
“We engage high school students and undergraduate students from any of the 54 Appalachian counties in cancer research, cancer education, clinical shadowing, all around the goal of motivating and preparing them to pursue cancer-related careers,” Vanderford outlined.
Holly Burke, coordinator of the program, said participating students explore how cancer has affected their families and communities, particularly lung cancer.
“They talked about experiences with cancer and why they think the rates are so high,” Burke observed. “And then they also gave solutions on what they think can be done to lower those rates.”
The American Cancer Society recommends yearly screening for lung cancer for people aged 50-80 years old who smoke, or formerly smoked and have a 20-pack a year or greater history of smoking.
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