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Basic Science Research in Cancer Health Disparities

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Cancer Health Disparities

Abstract

An important objective for basic science research in cancer health disparities is it identifies and understands biological mechanisms that contribute to the initiation and progress of cancer and influence how individuals respond to treatment. Several disciplines (e.g., physiology, microbiology, pharmacology, genetics) contribute to basic science research in cancer health disparities; increasingly, these studies are focused on understanding the ways in which biological mechanisms and pathways are shaped by environmental, behavioral, and social factors. Advances in the technologies that are available to examine biological mechanisms in cancer health disparities are also moving the field forward. However, these current methods and practices are based on several seminal events and ongoing challenges that include early efforts to establish cell lines to understand cancer biology and the limited representation of disparity populations in the commercially available resources that are used to support basic science studies. This chapter provides an overview of key historical events that established the foundation for basic science research in cancer health disparities and describes ongoing efforts to develop and apply new methods and technologies to understand biological mechanisms in disparity populations. Future priorities for basic science research are also identified in this chapter.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mt Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Ted Obi

  2. Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA

    Robert A. Winn

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  1. Ted Obi
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  2. Robert A. Winn
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Correspondence to Robert A. Winn .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Southern California, California, CA, USA

    Chanita Hughes Halbert, PhD

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Obi, T., Winn, R.A. (2023). Basic Science Research in Cancer Health Disparities. In: Hughes Halbert, PhD, C. (eds) Cancer Health Disparities. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-37638-2_2

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