The American Cancer Society (ACS) and Pfizer announced the launch of “Change the Odds: Uniting to Improve Cancer Outcomes,” a three-year initiative to bridge the gap in cancer care disparities.

Through $15 million in funding from Pfizer, the initiative aims to improve health outcomes in medically underrepresented communities across the United States by enhancing awareness of and access to cancer screenings, clinical trial opportunities, and patient support and comprehensive navigation.

“Change the Odds” will initially focus on breast and prostate cancer in medically underserved communities, with the potential to expand to additional cancer types. ACS plans to engage additional partners to extend the reach of the programmatic activities to more individuals and deepen the tangible impact in select communities.

“Cancer doesn’t discriminate – and neither should cancer care,” said Chris Boshoff, Chief Oncology Officer and Executive Vice President, Pfizer. “Everyone should have the same opportunity to access the latest advances in care, regardless of their background or where they live. We’re proud to partner with the American Cancer Society on a broad, community-focused initiative to reach people living with cancer where they are, with urgency, and connect them to resources to receive the care they deserve.”

Breast and prostate cancer are the most common types of cancer diagnosed among women and men in the United States, respectively. Incidence for both cancers continues to increase nationwide  with a greater impact for certain races and ethnicities, which can be more pronounced in urban areas.

In addition, people living in rural areas in the United States face barriers to accessing cancer screening and quality care, leading to higher mortality rates.Feelings of social isolation experienced by people living with breast or prostate cancer are associated with poorer outcomes, underscoring a critical need for community-centric approaches that are designed to make a tangible difference in patients’ lives by addressing their whole health needs, tackling seclusion and providing the help they need to ensure timely access to scientific advances in care.

“Our goal of ending cancer as we know it, for everyone, including medically underrepresented communities, can only be attained through strong and actionable partnerships with a shared vision like ours with Pfizer,” said Dr. Karen E. Knudsen, CEO of the American Cancer Society. “Our collaboration will help unlock ACS’ full potential in addressing health disparities with measurable, sustainable and systemic solutions to deliver access to high-quality care and treatments for every individual.”