Advocating for Better Cancer Screening and Clinical Trials for People of Color

Why do health inequities in breast cancer persist so stubbornly for Black and Brown women?

Laura Crandon's personal battle with misdiagnosed breast cancer inspired her to found Touch 4 Life, a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness and demanding equity in breast and prostate cancer care.

Despite a background as a healthcare executive, she faced gaps in testing and treatment that are all too common in underserved communities. Her advocacy now empowers others to ask the right questions and push for change.

Key Takeaways

1. Laura highlights the stark disparities in breast cancer detection, treatment, and survivorship that affect Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities. Black and brown women die at a 41% higher rate from breast cancer than their white counterparts, largely due to systemic issues in healthcare access, awareness, and inclusion in research and clinical practices.

2. Not all breast cancers are alike, and understanding the specific type via biomarker testing is critical for effective, targeted treatment. Many women of color do not receive these advanced tests, missing out on life-saving precision medicine. Laura’s own survival was linked to receiving biomarker testing and access to clinical trials.

3. Laura discusses how BIPOC populations are significantly underrepresented in clinical research, resulting in medical guidelines and AI-driven healthcare being based on data that does not reflect these communities. Without their inclusion in trials and data banks, future advances may leave them further behind. Participation in clinical trials and donation of tissue or data is essential for health equity.

4. Patients must be empowered to advocate for themselves, understand their rights, and insist on comprehensive care, including second opinions and proper team-based healthcare. Laura draws from her healthcare executive experience to stress the importance of not accepting sub-par care and encourages education, advocacy, and direct involvement in shaping healthcare policy and research standards.

5. Touch for Life addresses systemic inequities with a multi-pronged strategy: education, advocacy, research, collaboration with industry, and community engagement. They provide resources, training, and create accountability for industry and policymakers. The organization seeks to ensure that every member of the community, regardless of geography, has access to life-saving information, testing, and support.

Learn more about Touch 4 Life HERE.

Learn more about Dr. Eddie Patton HERE.

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Timestamped Overview

00:00 Breast Health Awareness Advocate Laura Crandon

05:13 Excluded from Data and Guidelines

08:21 The Importance of Second Opinions

12:00 Inherited Genetic Risks

14:41 Advancing Health Equity in Oncology

17:39 Advocating for Clinical Trial Participation

21:05 Inclusive Clinical Research Advocacy

23:00 Medication Side Effect Miscommunication

26:34 Empowering Voices for Policy Change

32:16 Importance of Family Medical History

34:26 Black Boots, Black Roots Party

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