Ronald Chen, Chair of Radiation Oncology at the University of Kansas Medical Center, Brandmeyer Endowed Professor, and Associate Director of Community Outreach and Engagement at The University of Kansas Cancer Center, shared on LinkedIn:
“There’s two major barriers today that are preventing us from doing even better in the battle against cancer:
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Screening
Too often, there’s a lack of motivation for screening if you’re not feeling pain or symptoms. But screening is so important! Not getting screened is a huge missed opportunity for catching cancer early. We have incredible screening tests for many common cancers now, yet there’s a large portion of our population who don’t get screened and risk discovering cancer only after it’s become too advanced.
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Access
We’re facing multiple challenges when it comes to access. The barriers that patients can face include traveling for treatments, having to take off work, insurance denials, and more. All of these can make cancer that much more burdensome.
Both of these issues are things that physicians like me and cancer centers like The University of Kansas Cancer Center across the country are actively working to improve.
So much of our work is focused on awareness, encouraging people to get screened earlier (and to make it easier for them to do so!). Then, for our cancer patients, we’re always looking for ways to improve access to make it easier for them to receive proper cancer care.”
You can also read: Roupen Odabashian at COGC 2026: Six Critical Barriers Shaping Global Cancer Care
