SPECIAL ISSUE
BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/GETTY
CANCER DOESN’T CARE if you’re a good mom, a hard worker or someone who files taxes on time. Everyone, good or bad, young or old, has the potential to end up sick. And here’s an even more sobering truth about cancer: When it comes to surviving the disease, some will die just because they live in the wrong town or don’t have enough money. Cancer doesn’t discriminate, but the treatment does. In the U.S.—where cancer is the second leading cause of death—race or ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, geography and income can determine whether a patient lives or dies.