Why Liver Cancer Hits Home: Bridging Healthcare Disparities in the Asian American and Pacific Islander Community

Abstract

Daneng Li,1 Spencer Cheng,2 Andrea Wilson Woods,3 Allyson Luong,3 Sarah Schiltz,3 Ruoding Tan,2 Zeena Huang Chi2 1City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA, USA; 2Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA; 3Blue Faery: The Adrienne Wilson Liver Cancer Association, Birmingham, AL, USACorrespondence: Daneng Li, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, 1500 E. Duarte Road, Duarte, CA, 91010, USA, Email [email protected]: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have an increased risk of developing liver cancer and higher risk of death compared to non-Hispanic White individuals. The role of individual-level risk factors, social determinants of health, and barriers navigating health systems present unique challenges in obtaining liver cancer care for these patients. Additionally, the Asian American and Pacific Islander population is a heterogenous group originating from several different countries and speaking various languages, and they are often underrepresented in cancer clinical trial populations. This article describes the challenges faced by Asian American and Pacific Islander patients with liver cancer from the clinician, research, and patient advocacy perspectives and proposes targeted solutions to reduce healthcare disparities in this group.Keywords: Asian American and Pacific Islander, health equity, hepatocellular carcinoma, cancer care

Keywords

• asian american and pacific islander
• health equity
• hepatocellular carcinoma
• cancer care