THURSDAY, March 11 (HealthDayNews) -- Minorities and people living in poverty are still at greater risk of getting cancer and dying from it than whites and more affluent individuals, a new American Cancer Society study finds. Blacks have the highest death rate from all cancers combined, with an annual death rate from cancer that is 40 percent higher for black men and 20 percent higher for black women than their white counterparts, the study found. Being poor also boosts cancer death rates, regardless of race or ethnicity, researchers found. Men who live in poverty-stricken counties have a 13 percent higher death rate from all cancers combined, vs. men in richer counties. Cancer deaths are 3 percent higher for women in poor counties than for their more affluent counterparts. The report appears in the March/April issue of CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. 8th street latinas "The issue of how we can actually eliminate these disparities represents a very large and unresolved problem," says Dr. Michael Thun, head of epidemiology research at the American Cancer Society and a co-author of the paper. Using data from the National Cancer Institute, researchers documented and provided examples of disparities across the entire spectrum of cancer intervention, from primary prevention to end-of-life care. Mike in Brazil To begin with, the prevalence of certain cancers appears to vary among racial and ethnic groups. Asian-Americans and Hispanic/Latinos, for example, suffer from higher rates of stomach cancer. Access to recommended screenings also varies. Mammography use was lowest among American Indian/Alaskan Native women. Only 52 percent had a mammogram within two years, while just 36.6 percent had one in the last year.