• American Indian men and African American men in Minnesota have the highest incidence rates of cancers of the lung and bronchus when compared with white males, and their risk of dying from lung and bronchus cancers is nearly twice that of white males.
• American Indian men in Minnesota have the highest rates of colon cancer and it is more than 80% higher than the rates of white males
• American Indian women have the highest rates of colon cancer in the state.
• African American men in Minnesota have the highest incidence of prostate cancer and their risk of dying from prostate cancer is more than two and a half times that of white men.
• The breast cancer mortality of Minnesota African American women is 30% higher than white women despite the fact that the incidence rate is 25% lower.
• The risk of being diagnosed with cervical cancer among Hispanic, African American and Asian Pacific Islander women in Minnesota is over twice as high as that of white women, and they are three times more likely to die of cervical cancer.
• Minnesota has one of the largest populations of Sub-Saharan African refugees and immigrants. Women from this area have among the highest rates of cervical cancer in the world.

As a network of health care professionals and community members from organizations across the state, the Health Disparities Task Force is dedicated to reducing the cancer burden in Minnesota. Project teams include:

·        Cervical Cancer Screening Project Team

·        Community Health Worker Project Team

·        Building Bridges Project Team 

·        Prostate Cancer Screening Project Team

Co-chairs:
Marva Bohen, University of Minnesota Cancer Center, bohen001@umn.edu
Makeisha Nesbitt, American Cancer Society, makeisha.nesbitt@cancer.org

Staff Support:
Elizabeth Moe, Minnesota Department of Health, elizabeth.moe@state.mn.us