Key takeaways:

Logistical issues with scheduling, travel and communication hinder cancer care for prisoners.

Screening, diagnosis and determining treatment can take months longer than in the general population.

Cancer has become the leading cause of death for individuals incarcerated in U.S. prisons over the past quarter century.

Cancer mortality increased 59% between 2000 and 2016, and those who get diagnosed in prison have a 92% higher risk for death than those diagnosed outside of the system, Christopher R. Manz, MD, MSHP, assistant professor in medical oncology at Harvard Medical School, told Healio.

Yet, logistical issues such as scheduling, travel to cancer centers and communication barriers can greatly impact the cancer care these individuals receive.

“Patients don’t have au

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