The American Cancer Society (ACS) announced the VOICES of Black Women cancer study earlier this week. This study will involve the largest U.S. population of Black women in history. Researchers aim to enroll more than 100,000 eligible participants across 20 states and Washington, D.C., in the study.
The purpose of the VOICES of Black Women study is to better understand the factors increasing a Black woman’s risk of developing cancer. Black women have the highest death rates and the shortest survival rates than other racial or ethnic groups in the country for most cancers.
According to the ACS, this will be a long-term study spanning 30 years to gather data on Black women and high cancer rates. Researchers plan to enroll Black women between the ages of 25 and 55 with varying backgrounds and income levels who have never been diagnosed with cancer.
The lead ACS researchers in this study, Alpha Patel, MD, and Lauren McCullough, PhD, will partner with communities of Black women and experts in Black women’s health to get a better perspective and understanding of how lived experiences can increase this population’s risk of developing or dying from cancer. The study’s results will help improve the health and well-being of Black women for future generations.
According to Dr. Patel, the VOICES of Black Women study is a significant step in addressing the long-overlooked health inequities among Black women.
“The data we’ve uncovered through previous population studies has been critical in reducing the unacceptably high burden of cancer, but that reduction has sadly not been equal,” Dr. Patel says. “By centering Black women’s voices and experiences, we can dig deeper in uncovering the unique challenges and barriers contributing to cancer disparities and develop tailored interventions to mitigate them.”
The research team began recruitment last fall with the pilot launch in Atlanta, Georgia, and Hampton Roads, Virginia.
The national launch of the cancer study will cover the following states:
- Alabama
- California
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- New Jersey
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Virginia
The VOICES of Black Women study’s eligibility criteria require potential participants to:
- Identify as Black American
- Be assigned female at birth or self-identify as a woman
- Be between the ages of 25 and 55
- Not have a history of cancer (except for basal or squamous skin cancer)
Through online surveys, study participants will answer questions regarding behavioral, environmental, and lived experiences over 30 years.
They will not be required to take any medications, tests, treatments, or make lifestyle changes during the study. Visit voices.cancer.org to learn more about the VOICES of Black Women study and how to get involved.
