Dr. William Hicks
Guest columnist

Black History Month is a wonderful time to reflect upon the contribution African Americans have made to this great country. But it's also a time to think about change - changing a pattern that has been apparent for many years.

I'm talking about the substantial differences among races in cancer detection, treatment and survival. The odds of beating cancer shouldn't depend on race and income, but looking at the statistics, that's sure what it looks like.

According to the National Cancer Institute, African Americans get cancer more than any other racial group, and they die from it more frequently. They also have the highest incidence of certain kinds of cancer, like prostate, colon, rectal and lung cancer.

African-American women have the highest death rate for breast cancer, although white women are diagnosed with it more often.

The data suggest many more statements like these that add up to a distressing conclusion: African-Americans shoulder more of the cancer burden in the United States than any other racial or ethnic group.

Interestingly, there is very little evidence suggesting that biology has anything to do with it. So some researchers conclude that other factors must be at work, things like class, income and behavioral patterns that lead to obesity or other high-risk profiles.

Access may also be an issue. Minorities tend to be less well off than whites, and may only have limited insurance, or no insurance at all, so they may not avail themselves of screenings that might pick up cancer in its earliest stages, when it is more curable. And, finally, let's acknowledge that some people are just plain suspicious of organized medicine and might not choose to see a doctor, even when they need one.

The good news is that while we can't change the nature of cancer, we can change our behavior, and that can make a big impact on our chances of developing cancer and surviving it.

Scientists here at The James and The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center tell us that over half of all cancer can be prevented by making changes in our lifestyles - eating healthy foods, exercising regularly, giving up tobacco and drinking alcohol only in moderation. Collectively, these decisions could change the history books of the future.

Leaders of our diversity enhancement program suggest we take the guiding principle of Kwanza and apply them to our lives when making decisions about our health.

In weaving all seven principles into one statement, a call to action might sound like this: Let's unify our collective actions to determine our future and use faith and creativity to define our purpose. Let's change history.

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Dr. William Hicks is a professor of clinical medicine and co-director of the diversity enhancement program at the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute.