Improving Cancer Control for Indigenous People
Everyone experiences cancer in their own unique ways. Indigenous people may share similar unique experiences and needs when on their cancer journey. This page is meant to provide resources and links to support Indigenous cancer patients, survivors and their families, and to highlight work underway to improve Indigenous cancer journeys in BC.
BC Cancer commitments within the Indigenous Cancer Strategy include:
- Making cancer care more culturally safe for Indigenous people by implementing the Declaration of Commitment on cultural safety and humility in health services
- Promoting increased uptake of San’yas Indigenous Cultural Safety training course at BC Cancer
- Making cancer services more accessible to Indigenous people by creating liaison positions at BC Cancer centres to assist Indigenous people in navigating the cancer care system
- Increasing early detection through screening by developing culturally-appropriate information campaigns to increase participation in colon, breast and cervical cancer screening programs
- Obtaining a better understanding of the Indigenous cancer journey in BC, with new research initiatives extending the work already done through linkages using the FNHA First Nations Client File
- Developing a shared approach to increase culturally safe prevention initiatives, including research and prevention outreach, within Indigenous communities
BC Cancer and the First Nations Health Authority recently
completed a study comparing cancer diagnoses and survival rates between First Nations people with Status and non-First Nations people living in BC. The
study found that, overall, First Nations people have lower cancer rates, but are more likely to be diagnosed with colon and cervical cancer, and more likely to experience poorer survival outcomes once diagnosed with cancer. There is more work to be done to understand the reasons for these results, and to improve cancer outcomes for Indigenous people.
