LAUNCHES THE LARGEST CANCER STUDY OF ITS KIND. THE STUDY WILL COLLECT THE DATA OF 100,000 BLACK WOMEN, AGES 25 TO 55, OVER A PERIOD OF 30 YEARS. RESEARCHERS WILL BE LOOKING AT EVERYTHING FROM THEIR MEDICAL HISTORY TO INCOME, THE ENVIRONMENT, LIFESTYLE AND MORE. NOW, THIS STUDY IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE, ACCORDING TO DATA FROM THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY, BLACK WOMEN ARE MORE LIKELY THAN OTHER WOMEN TO DIE OF CANCER, REGARDLESS OF THE STAGE OF THAT CANCER WHEN DIAGNOSED. >> WELL, JOINING US NOW TO HELP BREAK THIS STUDY DOWN FURTHER, DOCTOR DARIAN SUTTON, THANKS SO MUCH FOR COMING IN THIS. THANKS FOR HAVING ME. SO TALK TO US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS. THIS IS A BIG COMMITMENT THAT THEY ARE LOOKING FOR. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A PART OF A STUDY. THIS SIZE? >> IT'S MONUMENTAL. WHEN YOU LOOK AT STUDIES THAT HAVE BEEN DONE LIKE THIS IN THE PAST, THE ANSWER IS THAT THERE REALLY HAVEN'T BEEN MANY STUDIES THAT HAVE ADDRESSED THIS SPECIFIC QUESTION, WHICH IS WHY ARE BLACK WOMEN SPECIFICALLY SUFFERING FROM NOT ONLY INCREASED RATES OF CANCER, BUT ALSO WORSE SURVIVAL RATES? AND AS YOU ALLUDED TO, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE NUMBERS, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE REALLY CONCERNING. FOR EXAMPLE, BREAST CANCER, BLACK WOMEN ARE JUST AS LIKELY AS THEIR WHITE COUNTERPARTS TO GET BREAST CANCER, BUT UP TO 40% MORE LIKELY TO DIE AFTER A DIAGNOSIS COMPARED TO WHITE WOMEN MORE LIKELY TO DIE OF CERVICAL CANCER. AND EVEN WHEN YOU LOOK AT SKIN CANCER, A DISEASE THAT AS BLACK PEOPLE WERE LESS LIKELY TO GET BECAUSE OF THE MELANIN IN OUR SKIN AFTER A DIAGNOSIS, WE ARE STILL MORE LIKELY TO DIE. SO THESE THINGS HAVE TO BE ADDRESSED. >> IT'S GREAT THAT THEY'RE DOING A STUDY LIKE THIS, BUT IT'S A 30 YEAR STUDY. I MEAN, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO CHANGE NOW. OH, IT DOES. >> AND I THINK ONE BENEFIT OF DOING A LONGEVITY STUDY LIKE THIS IS THAT THERE WILL BE INFORMATION THAT IS ONGOING, AND THAT WILL LIKELY STOP AND REVIEW, AND THE HOPE FROM THAT IS THAT WE CAN USE THE INFORMATION AS IT COMES ALONG. BUT I THINK IT'S REALLY MOST IMPORTANTLY TO IDENTIFY THAT THERE IS AN ISSUE. HOPEFULLY HOSPITALS CAN GET ATTUNED TO HOW THEY CAN CORRECT THEIR METRICS, MAKING TRANSPARENT RESULTS SO THAT WE CAN MAKE CHANGES. >> YOU KNOW, THERE'S ALREADY BEEN A LOT OF STUDIES INTO WHAT MIGHT BE AT THE CAUSE OF THIS. AND RIGHT OFF THE TAPE, YOU LOOK AT THINGS LIKE ACCESS TO MEDICAL. ABSOLUTELY HELP OF ENVIRONMENT, DIET. YES. IS THERE AN AREA THAT SOME OF THIS IS FOCUSED MORE THAN ANOTHER? >> YOU KNOW, IT'S KIND OF FOCUSING ON ALL THOSE THINGS THAT YOU TOUCHED ON THE BEHAVIOR THAT WE DO EVERY DAY. WHAT CHANGES COULD WE MAKE IN ORDER TO REDUCE OUR RISK, OUR ENVIRONMENT, OUR EXPOSURE TO CERTAIN FOODS, AND THEN ALSO JUST SIMPLY ACCESS? WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE ACCESS TO CARE AND THE COVERAGE ACCESS THAT WE HAVE IN THIS COUNTRY, IT'S NOT EQUAL FOR EVERY SINGLE PERSON. AND UNFORTUNATELY, IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THOSE WHO ARE DARKER, THOSE WHO ARE BLACK PEOPLE, ARE MORE LIKELY TO SUFFER FROM THE DISPARITIES. >> ISN'T GETTING TO THE DOCTOR EARLIER ONE OF THE KEY THINGS THAT IT ABSOLUTELY IS BEING AN ADVOCATE FOR YOURSELF, UNDERSTANDING WHAT YOUR PERSONAL RISKS ARE, SPECIFIC TO YOURSELF, YOUR FAMILY HISTORY, SO THAT YOU CAN BE AN ADVOCATE. >> AND I ALWAYS ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO BRING SOMEONE WITH THEM DURING THOSE APPOINTMENTS BECAUSE IT CAN BE REALLY INTIMIDATING. >> HOW ARE THEY GOING TO FIND THESE WOMEN? >> YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT THAT'S A PART OF WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE TODAY. YOU KNOW, I'VE ALREADY HAD PEOPLE THAT HAVE COME TO ME AND ASKED, HOW CAN I PARTICIPATE IN ENROLLING 100,000 WOMEN BETWEEN 25 AND 55? THIS IS NOT A CLINICAL STUDY. THIS IS A STUDY WHERE WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS YOUR ACCESS AND HOW WE CAN CHANGE THOSE THINGS. SO I THINK IF YOU'RE EXCITED AND INTERESTED, YOU SHOULD LOOK IT UP AND GET INVOLVED. OKAY >> REALLY IMPORTANT. REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT TO
