Do Latinos have equal access to quality cancer care?
Access to quality cancer care is known to be unequal for Latinos, as compared to the non-Hispanic white population and these disparities worsen existing inequalities in cancer outcomes for Latinos. Availability of good health care is related to poverty levels. For example, the variation in incidence rates for cancers of the prostate and breast may be partly related to different rates of screening for these diseases in U.S. counties with more poverty. In addition, higher incidence rates of cancers of the liver, stomach, and cervix may be related to higher infection rates in populations of counties with higher poverty rates. Overall, Latino men and women were more likely to be diagnosed with metastatic cancer than non-Hispanic white people, and yet Latina women are under-screened. Results of studies examining reasons for lower screening rates among Latinas vary. Some of these reasons may include financial and language barriers, extent of acculturation, and socioeconomic status. However,
