Cancer in America: Disturbing findings for women and Black Americans

Fewer people are dying of cancer, but more women are being diagnosed with cancer, according to new figures released Thursday by the American Cancer Society.

More women are being diagnosed of cancer, and Black Americans and Native Americans are more likely to die of cancer, according to data from the American Cancer Society.

The new data also show the continuation of the troubling trend in disparities in outcomes among different racial groups. Black Americans and Native Americans are more likely to die from some cancers than white Americans.

The American Cancer Society released the latest findings in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. The analysis looks at cancer cases and mortality through 2022.

Over the past three decades, cancer mortality rates have dropped 34% between 1991 to 2022. Put another way, progress in battling cancer has helped prevent the death of 4.5 million Americans.

“The good news is progress in reducing mortality continues,” says Dr. Ahmedin Jemal, senior vice president of surveillance & health equity science for the American Cancer Society.

Jemal, one of the authors of the study, also points to rising mortality among some cancers, including cancers of the pancreas, uterine corpus, oral cavity, and liver cancer among women.

The study warns that the ongoing disparities in outcomes among minority group and rising rates of cancer among women could undo the progress in reducing cancer mortality.

• Read more: Nearly half of all cancer deaths are preventable

Trends with women

When asked about key findings in the study, Jemal tells Chief Healthcare Executive®, “I think that what is interesting in this finding is the shift in the burden of cancer from men to women.”

Cancer incidence rates in women between 50 and 64 years old have topped those in men. The gap is also widening between women and men under 50, as cancer rates among women in that group were 82% higher than those in men in 2021. In 2002, the gap was 51%.

Over that 20-year span, the incidence of cancer in men under 50 declined slightly, but incidence in women under 50 climbed nearly 20%, driven by higher rates of breast and thyroid cancers, the study found.

Among Americans under the age of 65, women had a higher incidence of lung cancer than men for the first time in 2021, the study found.

Younger women between 30 and 44 years of age are also seeing increased incidences of cervical cancer.

Disparities in mortality

Members of minority groups are less likely to survive certain cancers.

Black Americans are twice as likely than White Americans to die of prostate, stomach, and uterine corpus cancers. The findings reflect ongoing disparities in the mortality rate for Black Americans, which have persisted even among those with higher incomes.

The mortality rate for Black women with breast cancer is nearly 40% higher than white women. And as Jemal notes, “Black women continue to have a lower incidence rate.” So even though Black women are less likely to develop breast cancer, they are more likely to die from it, according to the data.

With prostate cancer, Black men have the highest mortality rate, with death rates two to four times higher than any groups, the study found.

Black women have the highest mortality rate with breast cancer and uterine corpus cancer.

Native Americans have the highest cancer mortality of any group, the study found. The mortality rate for Native Americans is two to three times higher than White individuals in kidney, liver, stomach, and cervical cancers.

Hispanic and Asian Americans are twice as likely to die of stomach cancer than white Americans, and their mortality rate for liver cancer is 40-50% higher than white people.

• Read more: The American Cancer Society hopes to improve outcomes for Black women

Prostate cancer

Prostate cancer alone accounts for nearly one-third (30%) of cancers among men, and the new data shows more men are being diagnosed.

Since 2014, the prostate cancer incidence rate has risen by 3% annually. Some researchers have questioned if changes in screening guidance is related to the uptick in cancer cases in recent years. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said in 2018 that periodic screening for men between 55 and 69, via a blood test, should be an individual decision.

Jemal says it’s possible there’s a correlation between more incidences and fewer screenings. But he adds, “We cannot also rule out other risk factors, because we don't really know what the underlying risk factor is for prostate cancer.”

Breast cancer

Among women, breast cancer makes up about 1 in 3 (32%) cases, and breast cancer cases have been rising in recent years, about 1% annually.

The increases have been higher among women under 50 (about 1.4% annually).

Increases have been higher in certain groups, including Asian American and Pacific Islander women (2.6% annually) and Hispanic women (1.6% annually).

Fewer women are dying due to breast cancer, but declines in mortality have slowed from 2% annually in the 2000s to 1% annually since 2010, the study says.

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women under the age of 50.

Lung cancer

More people are surviving lung cancer, with fewer people smoking cigarettes than decades ago. But lung cancer remains the most common among cancer deaths.

In 2022, more Americans died of lung cancer than the combined total of deaths due to breast, colon and prostate cancers.

The American Cancer Society says more screening would contribute to even fewer deaths, but researchers note most Americans aren’t screened, and many Americans aren’t diagnosed until the disease is at an advanced stage.

Colon cancer

Researchers found an uptick in new cases of colorectal cancer in both men and women under the age of 65.

Men under the age of 50 are also seeing greater incidences of colon cancer.

Pandemic impact

Researchers also speculated that the COVID-19 pandemic could have an impact on cancer mortality in the future.

Some Americans delayed cancer screenings during the pandemic, and researchers noted that the loss of health insurance and the closure of some clinics could have contributed to deferred exams.

The researchers pointed to the potential impact of delayed tests on disadvantaged communities.

“What is already established is the disproportionate direct and indirect impact of the pandemic on communities of color, including slower recovery of cancer screening, which will likely exacerbate existing cancer disparities,” the authors noted.