Cancer is a devastating disease for anyone, but it disproportionately affects minorities.

April is minority cancer awareness Month.

In today's health news, Kentucky Edition's Kelsey Starks has more on how awareness can encourage action.

Well, cancer affects us all, but it doesn't affect us all the same.

For instance, black men are more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer, black and white women, although they have similar breast cancer incidence rates.

Black women are 40% more likely to die from it.

Virginia Bradford is a registered nurse and in charge of community outreach.

Here to talk a little bit more about this disparity with minority populations when it comes to cancer.

Why is there this disparity?

Well, we've been working out in the community for 32 years with the Kentucky cancer program and the Kentucky African-Americans with cancer, looking at those and getting the answers to those questions.

So we found out the barriers to people getting screened, like the insurance, lack of knowledge, the fear of the word cancer, and mobilizing the community to make sure that they're getting doing early detection and getting screened for breast cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer, but making sure that they have the knowledge and know what are the things that they can do.

Changing lifestyle behaviors, making sure they're eating healthier, making sure that they're exercising.

So there are some things that we can do.

We can't say who's going to get cancer, but what we can say is that if we can find it early, then they can survive.

Early detection, of course, is so important.

And prevention there.

There's a difference, a disparity there in the number of new cases, but also with the cancer outcomes.

Yes.

And we know that because of lack of insurance, people think that they're not able to go get screened.

They're not able to see a physician.

They don't have regular appointments with their doctors.

Are they health care providers?

And so we've got programs such as Kentucky Women's Cancer Screening Program that provides the funds for women to get screened.

And with that, we follow them.

So if we see something suspicious, we'll bring them in for the diagnostic, for the ultrasound or whatever is needed to find that cancer and take care of it.

Because of this being a minority cancer awareness Month, Why?

Why?

It's a disparity in our community that people ask all the time.

Why are black people more apt to have higher rates of mortality due to late stage diagnosis?

But it's because of that fear, the lack of knowledge.

And we know now, the more we know, the better we are going to be in taking care of ourselves.

Well, that program is coming up April the 24th.

The Kentucky African Americans Against Cancer and Gilda's Club West in Louisville.

It is all free.

Yes.

And you can register in advance.

Thank you, Kelsey.

The Kentucky African Americans Against Cancer Group also hosts several support groups for those affected by cancer all over the state.