US Cancer Mortality Trends Among Hispanic Populations From 1999 to 2020

Abstract

ImportanceAdvances in cancer research and treatment access have led to decreasing cancer mortality in the US; however, cancer remains the leading cause of death among Hispanic individuals.ObjectiveTo evaluate longitudinal cancer mortality trends from 1999 to 2020 among Hispanic individuals by demographic characteristics and to compare age-adjusted cancer death rates between the Hispanic population and other racial and ethnic populations during 2000, 2010, and 2020.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis cross-sectional study obtained age-adjusted cancer death rates among Hispanic individuals of all ages between January 1999 and December 2020, using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention WONDER database. Cancer death rates in other racial and ethnic populations were extracted for 2000, 2010, and 2020. Data were analyzed from October 2021 to December 2022.ExposuresAge, gender, race, ethnicity, cancer type, and US census region.Main Outcomes and MeasuresTrends and average annual percent changes (AAPCs) in age-adjusted cancer-specific mortality (CSM) rates among Hispanic individuals were estimated by cancer type, age, gender, and region.ResultsFrom 1999 to 2020, 12 644 869 patients died of cancer in the US, of whom 690 677 (5.5%) were Hispanic; 58 783 (0.5%) were non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native; 305 386 (2.4%), non-Hispanic Asian or Pacific Islander; 1 439 259 (11.4%), non-Hispanic Black or African American; and 10 124 361 (80.1%), non-Hispanic White. For 26 403 patients (0.2%), no ethnicity was stated. The overall CSM rate among Hispanic individuals decreased by 1.3% (95% CI, 1.2%-1.3%) annually. Overall CSM rate decreased more for Hispanic men (AAPC, −1.6%; 95% CI, −1.7% to −1.5%) compared with women (AAPC, −1.0%; 95% CI, −1.0% to −0.9%). While death rates among Hispanic individuals decreased for most cancer types, mortality rates for liver cancer (AAPC, 1.0%; 95% CI, 0.6%-1.4%) increased among Hispanic men, and rates of liver (AAPC, 1.0%; 95% CI, 0.8%-1.3%), pancreas (AAPC, 0.2%; 95% CI, 0.1%-0.4%), and uterine (AAPC, 1.6%; 95% CI, 1.0%-2.3%) cancers increased among Hispanic women. Overall CSM rates increased for Hispanic men aged 25 to 34 years (AAPC, 0.7%; 95% CI, 0.3%-1.1%). By US region, liver cancer mortality rates increased significantly in the West for both Hispanic men (AAPC, 1.6%; 95% CI, 0.9%-2.2%) and Hispanic women (AAPC, 1.5%; 95% CI, 1.1%-1.9%). There were differential findings in mortality rates when comparing Hispanic individuals with individuals belonging to other racial and ethnic populations.Conclusions and RelevanceIn this cross-sectional study, despite overall CSM decreasing over 2 decades among Hispanic individuals, disaggregation of data demonstrated that rates of liver cancer deaths among Hispanic men and women and pancreas and uterine cancer deaths among Hispanic women increased from 1999 to 2020. There were also disparities in CSM rates among age groups and US regions. The findings suggest that sustainable solutions need to be implemented to reverse these trends among Hispanic populations.

Disparities in hepatocellular carcinoma incidence among Hispanic and non-Hispanic adults in Arizona: Trends between 2009-2017

“…At the same time, even as this disparity decreased over time, across each 3-year period, age-adjusted HCC incidence rates were at least twice as high among Hispanics compared to NHWs. This disparity has been widely documented and is concerning given increasing liver cancer mortality rates among U.S. Hispanic communities[ 7 , 8 ]. HCC incidence was found to be approximately three times higher among males vs. females, across all study periods, irrespective of ethnicity.…”

“…The cumulative effect of these social determinants of health among Hispanic populations, broadly and within the state of Arizona, likely contribute to liver cancer mortality disparities reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These trends warrant efforts to disaggregate and carefully examine HCC outcomes to identity potential drivers of these differences [ 7 , 8 ]. As ongoing efforts to identify novel and effective treatment options for HCC continue, parallel attention should be focused on ensuring access and care for patients are equitable.…”

Association of county level poverty with mortality from primary liver cancers

“…Liver cancers are disproportionately higher in Hispanic person. 32 Compared with other ethnic groups, Hispanic persons have a higher burden of hepatitis C infection, and a higher prevalence of obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. 33 , 34 , 35 Moreover, susceptibility of Hispanic persons to liver cancer could be enhanced by genetic variants or environmental exposures.…”

Disparities in Access to Radiotherapy Among Hispanic/Latinx Populations in the United States

“…All articles returned from each search were documented and duplicates were removed. After the initial search, studies were included for analysis if they met the following inclusion criteria: (1) The study took place in the United States; (2) The study analyzed disparities in radiation oncology care; and (3) The study included an examination of health disparities in the Hispanic/Latinx population. Articles meeting criteria were then organized based on the major thematic categories that emerged.…”

“…1 Importantly, although cancer-related mortality has been generally decreasing across populations, this has not been exhibited among Hispanic individuals; mortality rate due to certain cancers and age groups have unfortunately been increasing in the Hispanic population. 2 In 2021, the US Hispanic/Latinx population comprised ~63 million individuals, up from 51 million in 2010-a 24% relative increase over the past decade, significantly outpacing the nation's overall population growth rate of ~7%. 3 As the Hispanic/Latinx population continues to grow, addressing barriers to cancer care delivery will be of increasing public health importance.…”