Funded by the 2023 Victory Ride to Cure Cancer
North Carolina (NC) has the largest American Indian (AI) population east of the Mississippi River. Yet, we do not know much about the health and health care of AIs in NC. We do know cancer is their number one cause of death. We need to better understand cancer and cancer-related needs in this group to reduce the burden of cancer. Three NC cancer centers joined together in 2021 to learn more about how to help AIs with cancer. We will study how cancer of the liver and stomach affects American Indians in NC. And we want to find and create resources for our AI community. First, we will use the NC Cancer Registry and health insurance files to learn more about how and where AIs in NC get cancer care and any potential disparities. We will then have a community event to test for and treat the top cause of stomach cancer. Lastly, we will educate about liver and stomach cancer to help prevent them. This work will help AIs in NC by showing what the greatest needs are and the opportunities for better care. The long-term goal is to improve cancer outcomes in all AIs.
