Cancer statistics for African Americans, 2013

Abstract

In this article, the American Cancer Society estimates the number of new cancer cases and deaths for African Americans and compiles the most recent data on cancer incidence, mortality, survival, and screening prevalence based upon incidence data from the National Cancer Institute, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries and mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics. It is estimated that 176,620 new cases of cancer and 64,880 deaths will occur among African Americans in 2013. From 2000 to 2009, the overall cancer death rate among males declined faster among African Americans than whites (2.4% vs 1.7% per year), but among females, the rate of decline was similar (1.5% vs 1.4% per year, respectively). The decrease in cancer death rates among African American males was the largest of any racial or ethnic group. The reduction in overall cancer death rates since 1990 in men and 1991 in women translates to the avoidance of nearly 200,000 deaths from cancer among African Americans. Five-year relative survival is lower for African Americans than whites for most cancers at each stage of diagnosis. The extent to which these disparities reflect unequal access to health care versus other factors remains an active area of research. Overall, progress in reducing cancer death rates has been made, although more can and should be done to accelerate this progress through ensuring equitable access to cancer prevention, early detection, and state-of-the-art treatments.

Health Disparities between Black Hispanic and Black Non-Hispanic Cervical Cancer Cases in the USA

“…Currently, there are two prophylactic vaccines Cervarix and Guardasil, which have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These two vaccines protect against HPV 16 and 18 and are recommended for females between the ages 11 and 16 (DeSantis et al, 2013;Pierce-Campbell et al, 2012;Saslow et al, 2012;Schiffman et al, 2011;WHO, 2013a). Overall, vaccination rates have increased since 2006; however, the rates remain dismally low.…”

Diagnosis and Surgical Delays in African American and White Women with Early-Stage Breast Cancer

“…1,2 One possible reason for persistence of this racial disparity is delay in receipt of diagnosis and treatment, which can negatively impact patient outcomes. Delay of more than 2 months in treatment initiation has been associated with worse BC survival.…”

How the future of clinical cancer diagnostics can contribute to overcoming race-associated cancer disparities

“…As an example, African Americans are more likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer and at a younger age compared to white or European Americans, even though as adolescents African Americans are less likely to smoke [2][3][4][5][6]; moreover, African Americans with lung cancer demonstrate shorter overall survival and increased mortality [6]. African American men have a 60% greater risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer and a two to three times greater risk of dying from the disease compared to white European American men [6,7].…”

“…As an example, African Americans are more likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer and at a younger age compared to white or European Americans, even though as adolescents African Americans are less likely to smoke [2][3][4][5][6]; moreover, African Americans with lung cancer demonstrate shorter overall survival and increased mortality [6]. African American men have a 60% greater risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer and a two to three times greater risk of dying from the disease compared to white European American men [6,7]. Compared to other races and ethnicities (whites, Asians and Hispanics), young African American women have the highest risk of being diagnosed with the subtype of breast cancer known as triple negative breast cancer, and triple negative breast cancer patients have the lowest 5-year survival rates among all breast cancer patients [8,9].…”