The potential impact of cancer survivors on Native American cancer prevention and treatment.

Cancer has recently become a major health problem for American Indians and Alaska Natives. Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results data showed that Native American survival rates at 1, 3, and 5 years from cancer diagnosis are the poorest of any minority population studied. The causes for this finding are multifactorial and include a lack of awareness of cancer risks and symptoms, fatalism, and lack of access to screening services. Cancer survivors in native communities can be invaluable resources to educate others, raise cancer awareness, and most importantly prove that cancer is not always fatal.