Infant death rates among blacks, American Indians and Alaska Natives, and Hispanics in 1995 or 1996 were all above the national average of 7.2 deaths per 1,000 live births. About 1.4 million new cases of cancer are expected to be diagnosed in 1997, and approximately 7.4 million Americans have or have had cancer. The chances of developing cancer in a lifetime are nearly 50 percent for men and nearly 40 percent for women. About half of those who develop the disease will die from it. Many minority groups suffer disproportionately from cancer.
Disparities exist in both mortality and incidence rates.
Native Hawaiian men also have elevated rates of lung cancer compared with white men. Alaska Native men and women suffer disproportionately higher rates of cancers of the colon and rectum than do whites. Hispanic women also suffer elevated rates of cervical cancer. In January 2000, NIH acting director Dr. Ruth Kirschstein recharged the working group and elevated membership on the group to Institute and Center director level. She also put the group's work on a fast track, acknowledging in her opening statement to Congress that NIH has a central role in eliminating persistent health disparities through medical research, research training, and dissemination of scientifically sound medical information.