Health Equity in Cancer

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A Navajo woman standing by the gate of her home in Monument Valley, Arizona.

Equity in Cancer Prevention and Control

Equity is when everyone has an equal opportunity to be as healthy as possible.

An African American man standing outside on a crowded city sidewalk

How Racism Leads to Cancer Health Disparities

Racism is a serious threat to the public’s health.

A technician positions a Hispanic woman at an imaging machine to receive a mammogram

What Data Are Used to Measure Cancer Health Disparities?

Measurements describe how much a group of people is affected by cancer.

What Does Health Equity Look Like?

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Dr. Richard Besser, CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, speaks about health disparities in the United States and the need for equal opportunity for people to prosper.

Featured Resources

A group of racially diverse people puts a puzzle together

CDC awarded funds to three research organizations to learn how to advance health equity in cancer.

Photo of an Inuit mother and her young daughter

CDC is working to improve the accuracy of cancer data for American Indian and Alaska Native people.

Photo of a visually impaired man walking down the street with his guide dog

People with disabilities are less likely to get cancer screening tests than people without disabilities.

CDC is advancing health equity through research, programs, and partnerships. Learn what CDC is doing.

Page last reviewed: September 14, 2022

Content source: Division of Cancer Prevention and Control,, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention