JGO’s First Special Issue Will Explore Cancer Care Disparities in Indigenous Populations
Published May 22, 2019
The Journal of Global Oncology (JGO) will publish its first special issue in 2019 on cancer care in indigenous populations, which will include researched, peer-reviewed articles on the underrepresented population.
The special issue—edited by JGO Associate Editor Eva Segelov, PhD, MBBS, FRACP, and Guest Editor Gail Garvey, MEd, PhD—will feature original research and commentary from experts on cancer care in indigenous populations from around the globe.
“Part of what [readers] will get out of the issue is education, knowledge, and understanding about disparities in cancer outcomes for indigenous people globally,” Dr. Garvey, of the Menzies School of Health, in Australia, said.
Special Issue Introduction and Articles
Published January 13, 2020
Worldwide, there are approximately 370 million Indigenous people, spread across 90 countries. Indigenous peoples and communities are culturally diverse and are distinct from the dominant societies in which they live. In considering the diversity of Indigenous peoples, the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues provides several characteristics that guide their identification: self-identification as Indigenous peoples at the individual level and accepted by the community as its member; historical continuity with precolonial and/or presettler societies; strong link to territories and surrounding natural resources; social, economic, or political systems, language, culture, and beliefs that are distinct from nondominant groups of society; and resolve to maintain and reproduce their ancestral environments and systems as distinctive peoples and communities.
The health of Indigenous peoples is intimately linked to the social, structural, and political environments in which they live. It is a matter of shame that Indigenous people constitute 5% of the total global population yet account for approximately 15% of the world’s extreme poor, according to the World Bank. Health disparities are well documented in Indigenous populations, in whom cancer is increasingly a priority as deaths from acute infections and other imminent health dangers become controlled.
Accordingly, this Special Issue comprises articles sourced around the globe, focused on three domains: (1) the epidemiology and disease and treatment patterns of cancer in different Indigenous populations; (2) the cultural impact of Indigenous culture on the conduct of cancer research and care; and—last but by no means least— 3) the empowerment and engagement of Indigenous researchers and communities in setting their own agenda for improving cancer outcomes.
Continue reading the Special Issue introduction by Dr. Segelov and Dr. Garvey in JGO, Cancer and Indigenous Populations: Time to End the Disparity, or view the following articles in the Issue:
- An Integrative Review of the Barriers to Indigenous People Participation in Biobanking and Genomic Research
- Creating a Canadian Indigenous Research Network Against Cancer Address Indigenous Cancer Disparities
- Influence of Preexisting Diabetes on Survival After a Breast Cancer Diagnosis in First Nations Women in Ontario, Canada
- Optimal Cancer Care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People: A Shared Approach to System Level Change
- Nexus of Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease for Australia’s First Peoples
- Partnering With Northern British Columbia First Nations in the Spectrum of Biobanking and Genomic Research: Moving Beyond the Disparities
- Understanding Aboriginal Peoples’ Cultural and Family connections Can Help Inform the Development of Culturally Appropriate Cancer Survivorship Models of Care
- Collection and Reporting of Indigenous Status Information in Cancer Registries Around the World
- Indigenous Cancer Research: Reflections on Roles and Responsibilities
- Psychosocial Aspects of Delivering Cancer Care to Indigenous People: An Overview
- Addressing Cancer Health Disparities in the Pacific Peoples of Hawai´i, Guam, and the US Associated Pacific Islands Through Pacific-Focused Research Capacity Building
- Sharing Wisdom, Sharing Hope: Strategies Used by Native American Cancer Survivors to Restore Quality of Life
