Cancer screening based on family history can increase survival rates — but only if you know and tell

DR. MONICA L. BASKIN

In January, we introduced the term “social determinants of health” (SDoH), which are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age.

SDoH are often the result of social, political, and economic forces beyond people’s control, including slavery, segregation, and redlining. These conditions continue to impact people daily and affect their health and quality of life.

When SDoH are favorable, people live healthier lives. When they’re not, the opposite is true. In Pittsburgh, health outcomes can vary greatly depending on your ZIP Code.

For hundreds of years in this country, systemic racism has created poor health outcomes. While inequities in healthcare have improved substantially in the U.S. in the last 50 years, access to quality healthcare, insurance coverage and cost, and provider availability and representation are far from equal.

In our city, for example, cancer is the leading cause of death. Of all the Pittsburghers who die from cancer, Black people die the most — and have the shortest survival of any racial and ethnic group for most types of the disease.

Dr. Monica L. Baskin, Associate Director of Community Outreach and Engagement and Associate Director for Health Equity, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, is committed to making that survival rate higher and more equitable. Dr. Baskin is focused on giving Black people in Western Pa., equal access to quality healthcare and helping to educate and empower them on ways to prevent major diseases, including cancer.

Before joining Pitt in 2022, Dr. Baskin spent 20 years in the Deep South (most recently at the University of Alabama at Birmingham) studying how to reduce health disparities through community-based programs that listen to underserved people and collaborate with communities to improve health.

She traces her career back to the loss of her father who died of colorectal cancer when he was just 51.  “No child should lose a parent to such a preventable disease at such a young age,” she states. “I’ve made it my mission to help people avoid that huge loss.” 

Dr. Baskin’s years of research have confirmed the important role of a healthy diet and exercise in preventing and controlling many types of diseases, including cancer. While SDoH are often out of people’s control, taking ownership of their health isn’t, especially what you eat and how much you move.

“One of the most important things you absolutely have control over is making a stake in your health,” she says. “Maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep is a way to affirm your physical and mental health for you and for the people you love.”

Another key to cancer prevention is knowing — and communicating — your family health history.

“Who in your family had cancer and on which side?” Dr. Baskin continues. “What kind of cancer? How old were they when they were diagnosed? Where and how were they treated? What was the outcome? These are important things you need to know, so you can share them with your healthcare provider. Being forthright with this information may mean you’re eligible for early screenings that are covered by insurance.”

In the case of Dr. Baskin’s father, who was diagnosed when the cancer was well advanced, screening may have saved his life. “With my father’s cancer, we know there were probably pre-cancerous polyps years before he was diagnosed. If he’d had an early screening, the doctor could have removed them.”

Family history also includes your past health behaviors, especially alcohol, tobacco, and drug use. “If you smoked cigarettes for 20 years, but gave it up 10 years ago, it’s important to tell your doctor. You might still be at risk for lung cancer and eligible for early screening.”

This knowledge and communication with your healthcare provider is an important part of self-advocacy. “You know your body better than anyone,” Dr. Baskin explains. “Trust your feelings. Don’t be afraid to talk about something that’s troubling you. If it’s easier to write down your concerns and give it to your provider, do that. Healthcare providers work for you. Don’t take no for an answer.”  

In addition to preventing cancer, early screening can be the first step to increasing survival rates for Black people with cancer. “If we catch cancer early, there are often more options available with less side effects. Your quality of life is better and you have a greater chance of a good outcome,” Dr. Baskin notes. 

If you’re a Black person who’s diagnosed with cancer, Dr. Baskin hopes you’ll be open to participating in a clinical trial. “There are a lot of legitimate trust issues when it comes to our country’s healthcare system that we’re trying to make right,” she says. “Skepticism from Black people is well-founded. But I do hope that if you receive the devastating diagnosis of cancer, you’ll consider joining a trial.”

According to Dr. Baskin, clinical trial patients — who are actually “trying” a new drug or type of treatment before it’s available to everyone — not only receive access to potentially life-changing medicine, but also impact future treatment of other Black people. 

“The drugs and treatments we use today are based on clinical trials mostly done on white patients,” she explains. “That disparity is based on the trust issues I mentioned earlier and social determinants of health. We need to correct that imbalance, but we can’t do it if Black people choose not to participate.”

Learn more about who should get cancer screen­ings, community and can­cer support, and cancer research on the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center site. https://hillmanre­search.upmc.edu/

About Post Author

Comments

From the Web

Skip to content