Tailoring survivorship to diverse populations with genitourinary malignancies

Urol Oncol. 2020 Mar;38(3):118-120. doi: 10.1016/j.urolonc.2019.06.014. Epub 2019 Jul 12.

Abstract

Socioeconomic and racial/ethnic disparities in genitourinary malignancies remain a critical problem. Variations in initial and subsequent treatments, including survivorship care, likely contribute to these disparities. While the prevalence of genitourinary cancer survivors continues to grow, heterogeneity in survivorship care threatens to increase disparities. Several social factors, such as insurance status, language, and geography, drive heterogeneity observed in survivorship care. Linguistically tailored, culturally relevant survivorship is an essential component of a multidisciplinary effort to address racial/ethnic disparities among patients with genitourinary malignancies. Survivorship care is an essential component of cancer treatment, however if it is not developed and tested among a diverse patient population, it can lead to a widening of disparities observed among patients with genitourinary malignancies.

Keywords: Cancer disparities; Genitourinary oncology; Survivorship care.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Cancer Survivors
  • Continuity of Patient Care*
  • Humans
  • Urogenital Neoplasms / therapy*