Research silos in cancer disparities: obstacles to improving clinical outcomes for under-served patient populations

Despite much-vaunted progress in cancer therapeutics and diagnostics, outcomes for many groups of non-White cancer patients remain worse than those for their White compatriots. One reason for this is the lack of inclusion and representation of non-White patients in clinical trials, preclinical datasets, and amongst researchers, a shortfall that is gaining wide recognition within the cancer research community and the lay public. Several reviews and editorials have commented on the negative impacts of the status quo on progress in cancer research towards medical breakthroughs that help all communities and not just White cancer patients. In this perspective, we describe the existence of research silos focused either on the impact of socio-economic factors proceeding from systemic racism on cancer outcomes, or on genetic ancestry as it affects the molecular biology of cancer developing in specific patient populations. While both these research areas are critical for progress towards precision medicine equity, breaking down these silos will help us gain an integrated understanding of how race and racism impact cancer development, progression, and patient outcomes. Bringing this comprehensive approach to cancer disparities research will undoubtedly improve our overall understanding of how stress and environmental factors affect the molecular biology of cancer, which will lead to the development of new diagnostics and therapeutics that are applicable across cancer patient demographics.