Cancer mortality rates fall among Black Americans – Charlotte Post

Cancer mortality rates among Black Americans are falling, although they have a disproportionately higher rate than other racial groups.

A report by the American Cancer Society found the cancer mortality rate fell by 49% in Black men and 33% for Black women from 1991 to 2022. However, the risk of cancer death for Black people is twice that of their white peers for myeloma, prostate, uterine corpus (endometrial), and stomach cancers, and 40%-50% higher for colorectal, breast, cervical, and liver cancers.
Survival rates were lower in Black people than in white people for almost every type and stage of cancer, with the largest gaps for melanoma, uterine corpus, and cervical cancers. The findings are published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians and online at cancer.org.

“Overall declines in cancer mortality rates in Black people largely reflect behavioral changes, such as historical declines in cigarette smoking among Black teens, as well as advances in treatment and earlier detection for some cancers,” said Rebecca Siegel, senior author of the report and senior scientific director of surveillance research at the American Cancer Society. “Yet, this population persistently experiences a much higher mortality burden than other racial and ethnic groups for many cancers. We must reverse course.”

The report’s investigators compiled the most recent data on cancer incidence, mortality, survival, screening, and risk factors using data from the National Cancer Institute and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Black people account for 14% of the population, making them the third largest ethnic group after white and Hispanic people in 2022. An estimated 248,470 new cancer diagnoses and 73,240 cancer deaths among Black people will occur in 2025 – making it the second-leading cause of death in Black people after heart disease.

“This report highlights the disparities the Black community has faced for decades. While the decline in cancer mortality rates is encouraging, the stark inequities in incidence and survival for many cancers underscore the urgent need for targeted research and interventions,” said Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick, interim chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. “This is a critical opportunity for the scientific, clinical, and policy-making community to come together to drive meaningful change. Together we must inform strategies to close these gaps, improve early detection, and ensure equitable access to life-saving treatments for the Black community.”

Other highlights from the report include:

• Black men had the most significant relative decline in cancer mortality from 1991 to 2022 compared to Black women and white men and women at nearly every age, including a 65%-67% drop among people 40-59 years of age.

• The most commonly diagnosed cancers are prostate (44% among males), breast (34% among females), lung (10%), and colorectal (8%), which will account for 58% of all new cancers diagnosed among Black people.
• Black men have a 67% higher prostate cancer incidence rate compared to white men and are more than twice as likely to die from the disease.

• Black women have a 38% higher likelihood of dying from breast cancer compared to White women despite a 5% lower likelihood of being diagnosed with the disease.

• Uterine corpus (endometrial) cancer incidence continues to increase in Black women by 2% per year.

“Future research should not only explore the influence of systemic racism on health, but also develop mechanisms to implement change, including increasing diversity in clinical trials,” added Dr. William Dahut, ACS’s chief scientific officer. “Given this latest data, it’s also more important than ever to understand how to reduce your chance of getting cancer. This means taking preventative health measures, like understanding your risk profile, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and keeping up on cancer screenings to catch the disease as early as possible.”

To address ongoing cancer disparities in Black women, last year ACS launched a study to help better understand the multi-level drivers of incidence, mortality, and resilience of cancer and other health conditions among Black women to address them.

For information or participate, go to voices.cancer.org.

5118 Princess St. Charlotte, NC 28269
PH: 704 376-0496
FX: 704 342-2160
Copyright The Charlotte Post 2025 | Policy and User Agreement | Website by Accrisoft

source