reVue Canadienne de sOins infirmiers en OnCOlOgie Health disparities in cancer care: Foundational concepts

It is exciting to see nurses in cancer care increasing their attention to health equity and social justice. Such concerns have not dominated research and practice in relation to cancer; perhaps, in part, because cancer carries less social stigma than health issues where equity concerns are foregrounded such as mental health problems, violence or HIV (with exceptions such as lung cancer in people who smoke). Cancer nurses are amplifying their attention to health inequities (or disparities) at a time when understanding of the foundational concepts is becoming increasingly robust. The purpose of this intro-duction is to review the concepts foundational to integrating health inequities in health research and practice and to con-sider their specific relevance to cancer care. The terms ‘disparities ’ and ‘inequities ’ are often used inter-changeably and both must be distinguished from inequalities. ‘Inequality ’ is a broad term referring to differences betwee