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Marjory-Charlot-study-intervention-reduces-disparity
Marjory Charlot, MD, MPH, MSc

A detailed analysis by researchers at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and Greensboro Health Disparities Collaborative designed to address racial inequities in timing from diagnosis to surgery for lung cancer found that a  multi-faceted intervention resulted in timelier lung cancer surgery for Black patients.

The findings appeared Feb. 14, 2022, in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Reported in February 2019, the ACCURE trial (Accountability for Cancer Care through Undoing Racism and Equity) implemented interventions at cancer treatment centers that helped eliminate disparities in treatment for Black patients with early-stage lung and breast cancers. The interventions included: a real-time notification system based on electronic health records showing missed clinical milestones; reporting race-specific treatment rates to clinical teams; and engaging a nurse navigator trained in racial equity to guide patients throughout their treatment.

“The ACCURE intervention came about because of community activism and engagement, primarily by the Greensboro Health Disparities Collaborative – a partnership with expertise in antiracism and community-based participatory research,” said corresponding author Marjory Charlot, MD, MPH, MSc, assistant professor in the UNC School of Medicine and assistant director of Community Outreach and Engagement and Patient Engaged Research at UNC Lineberger. “ACCURE investigators were able to analyze the roots of racial inequities in the community and develop this first-of-its-kind intervention to eliminate treatment and timely care gaps for early-stage lung cancer.”

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