Roundtable on Black in cancer research and oncology

And now, it is important to note that our focus should not solely be on biological inequities or biological mechanisms. I strongly believe, as Doctor Bishop so eloquently demonstrated, that it is the interaction between our internal biology, the surrounding environment, and our internal environment that plays a significant role. I want to emphasize this point to avoid any potential disagreement. All aspects, including our biology and both internal and external environment, interact to contribute to these disparities. Despite initiatives like the Cancer Genome Atlas and the Project genie from AC R, it is evident that there is a significant lack of diversity in these genomic databases. Considering the US population, approximately 12% are Black individuals and 6% are Asian individuals. However, it is concerning that, even after more than two decades of tumor profiling through these studies, over 75% of the samples included in these genomic studies come from people of European ancestry.