Abstract C85: Inside to outside: Addressing cancer disparities among formerly incarcerated populations
Authors: Coffey Vickii P. , Muse Mary V. , Watson Karriem S. , Evans Rupert , Balthazar Catherine Hanson , Winn Robert A. , Matthews Phoenix Alicia 
Published: February 2019

Cancer is the leading cause of death in the United States. Disparities in cancer rates and outcomes exist among diverse underserved populations. In 2016, the Epidemiology and Genomics Research Program of the National Cancer Institute (Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences) identified inmates as an understudied population, about which there are limited data regarding cancer risks and outcomes. In June, 2015, the Illinois state prison population was 47,165. In that same year, over 50% (28,478) of Illinois state prisoners were released and a majority disproportionately returned to impoverished and vastly under-resourced communities on Chicago's south side.

Through the collaborative effort of the University of Illinois Cancer Center (UICC) and Governors State University (GSU) NCI funded P20 grant (the GUIDE), we are exploring cancer health disparities on Chicago's far south side and south suburban communities. The NCI P20, CRCHD GUIDE serves a growing population of citizens who are part of or recently released from the criminal justice system. However, much of the research in these areas is happening in academic centers that are not geographically located within high-risk communities. Advancing this dialogue with faculty and early-stage investigators at Governors State University meets the mission and aims of the P20 GUIDE by developing research and resources in underserved community areas.

A range of risk factors including poor health care, health risk behaviors, and lack of participation in cancer screening position incarcerated and formerly incarcerated populations at greater risk for cancer diagnosis. This pattern is likely to persist given the aging of the prison population. Further, cancer diagnosis is not only evident among older inmate populations; there is also growing evidence of a younger population (30-45) presenting with cancer at intake or receiving a cancer diagnosis within months of admission to our jails and prisons. These findings underscore the importance of advocating for the inclusion of currently and formerly incarcerated persons in cancer prevention and control efforts.

Given the consistent increase in patients with a diagnosis of cancer, there is need to explore strategies to provide care meeting best practice standards, and the development of policies that decrease the risk of cancer disparities among incarcerated and formerly incarcerated populations. The purpose of this presentation is to: (1) describe the rates and risk factors for cancer disparities among incarcerated and formerly incarcerated populations, (2) examine models of reentry program linkages in health care and strategies for engagement in cancer screening and early detection, and (3) advocate for the inclusion of best practices in cancer care in prison in the National Commission on Prison Health Care Guidelines for prison health care delivery.

Citation Format: Vickii P. Coffey, Mary V. Muse, Karriem S. Watson, Rupert Evans, Catherine Hanson Balthazar, Robert A. Winn, Phoenix Alicia Matthews. Inside to outside: Addressing cancer disparities among formerly incarcerated populations [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Tenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2017 Sep 25-28; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2018;27(7 Suppl):Abstract nr C85.