Every two years, the American Cancer Society publishes facts and figures related to cancer levels, fatalities and new medications. Once again this year, U.S. African Americans have the highest incidence of death for most cancers even though an overall decrease in mortality overall. About 168,900 new cancer cases and 65,540 cancer deaths are expected among African Americans in 2011. Otis W. Brawley, M.D., American Cancer Society chief medical officer stated:
“While the factors behind these racial disparities are multifaceted, there is little doubt socioeconomic status plays a critical role. African Americans are disproportionately represented in lower socioeconomic groups. For most cancers, the lower the socioeconomic status, the higher the risk. It’s important to note as well that the factors associated with socioeconomic status contribute to substantial differences in cancer incidence and mortality within racial and ethnic groups as well. People with lower socioeconomic status have higher cancer death rates, regardless of demographic factors such as race/ethnicity.”
Breast and colorectal cancers in women and higher mortality rates from prostate, lung, and colorectal cancers in men contribute to this statistical data. The most commonly diagnosed cancers among African American men are prostate (40% of all cancers), lung (15%), and colon and rectum (9%). Among African American women, the most common cancers are breast (34% of all cancers), lung (13%), and colon and rectum (11%).
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among African American women. An estimated 19,540 new cases of breast cancer occurred among African American women in 2009. The incidence rate of breast cancer however is 10% lower in African American women than in white women overall. Among women under 40 years though, the incidence is higher in African Americans than in whites. Breast cancer incidence rates increased rapidly among African American women during the 1980s, largely due to increased detection as the use of mammography screening increased. Incidence rates stabilized among African American women aged 50 and older during 1995-2005, while rates decreased by 0.7% per year among women under age 50 from 1991-2005.
Lung cancer death rates for young African Americans and whites have converged in both men and women. Lung cancer accounts for the largest number of cancer deaths among both men (29% of all cancer deaths) and women (22%), followed by prostate cancer in men (16%) and breast cancer in women (19%). For African American men and women, cancers of the colon and rectum and pancreas are expected to rank third and fourth, respectively, as the leading sites for cancer deaths.
However, racial disparity has continued to increase in recent years for colorectal cancer in both men and women and for breast cancer in women, cancers for which progress has been made through screening and improvements in treatment.
According the National Health Interview Survey, in 2008 almost half of African American adults reported no leisure-time physical activity compared to about one in three whites. African American women and teen girls have the highest rates of obesity in the US. According to the most recent data (2007-2008) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, half of African American women and nearly 1 in 3 African American teen girls are obese. Obesity increases the risk of many cancers, including cancers of the breast (in postmenopausal women), colon, endometrium, kidney, and adenocarcinoma of the esophagus.
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Written By Sy Kraft, B.A.