Fast Facts Causes for U.S. Mortality Cancer Incidence Cancer Mortality Cancer Risk in Men Cancer Risk in Women Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening References Fast Facts In the United States, breast cancer is the leading form of cancer among women and is second only to lung cancer as a cause of death.(1) African Americans are at a disadvantage in cancer-related deaths, with a five-year cancer survival rate of only 38% compared with a 50% survival rate for whites.(2) African American females experience higher death rates from breast cancer than any other racial or ethnic group, even though whites experience higher incidence rates.(3) Minorities with cancer often suffer more pain due to under-medication than do other groups. Nearly 62% of patients at institutions predominately serving African American patients were not prescribed adequate analgesics. (4) Among all study participants 40 years of age or older in Washington State study, the probability for receipt of a mammogram increased with years of residence in the United States and years of education.(5) Mortality in the United States According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the leading cause of mortality in the U.S in 2001 was heart disease, with 29% of all deaths. The second leading cause of mortality was cancer, with an estimated 553,768 deaths, 22.9% of all deaths that year.(6) Back to Top Cancer Incidence African Americans have a higher cancer incidence rate than all other racial or ethnic groups.  African Americans have a cancer incidence rate of 515.8 per 100,000 as compared with 479.6 for non-Hispanic whites, 336.6 for Asians/Pacific Islanders, 237.7 for American Indian/Alaskan Native, and 351.3 for Hispanics.(7) Cancer Mortality African Americans have a higher cancer mortality rate for all cancer sites than any other racial or ethnic group.  African Americans have a cancer mortality rate of 252.5 per 100,000  compared with 200.1 for non-Hispanic whites, 122 for Asian/Pacific Islanders, 134.9 for American Indian/Alaskan Native, and 136.5 for Hispanics.(7) Back to Top   Cancer Risk for Men The lifetime probability of developing cancer for men in the  U.S. is 1 in 2 for all cancer sites. Prostate cancer is the most probable cancer site, with 1 in 6 men at risk for developing that form of cancer. Lung cancer is second, with 1 in 13 men at risk for developing this disease.(8) Cancer Risk for Women There is a 1 in 3 chance that a woman in the U.S. will develop some type of cancer.  Breast Cancer is the most common type, with 1 in 7 women at risk for developing the disease. The second most common cancer risk is lung cancer.  One in 17 women in the U.S. have a lifetime probability of developing lung cancer.(8) Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Characteristics associated with low rates of breast and cervical cancer screening(5): Being older or less educated U.S. federal poverty level Living in a rural area Lack of knowledge of preventive procedures Language barriers Lack of recommendation by a health care provider Concern about cost of mammogram For more information on breast and cervical cancer, click here.   Back to Top References 1. Mandelblatt J, Andrews H, Kao R, Wallace R, Kerner J. Impact of access and social context on breast cancer stage at diagnosis. J Health Care Poor Underserved 1995;6(3):342-51. 2. Buchowski MS, Sun M. Nutrition in minority elders: current problems and future directions. J Health Care Poor Underserved 1996;7(3):184-209. 3. National Cancer Institute. Cancer Health Disparities Fact Sheet.  U.S. National Institutes of Health. Washington D.C. April 2002. http://www.nci.nih.gov/newscenter/healthdisparities#top 4. American Cancer Society (ACS). Cancer Facts and Figures for African Americans 2005-2006. Atlanta: American Cancer Society, 2005. 5. Skaer TL, Robison LM, Sclar DA, Harding GH. Cancer-screening determinants among Hispanic women using migrant health clinics. J Health Care Poor Underserved 1996;7(4):338-54. 6. US Mortality Public Use Data Tape 2001, National Center for Health Statistics, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2003 7. Ries LAG, Eisner MP, Kosary CL, Hankey BF, Miller BA, Clegg L, Mariotto A, Feuer EJ, Edwards BK (eds). SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2001, National Cancer Institute. Bethesda, MD, http://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2001/, 2004. 8. DevCan: Probability of Developing or Dying of Cancer Software, Version 5.1 Statistical Research and Applications Branch, NCI, 2003. http://srab.cancer.gov/devcan This research was supported by a National Library of Medicine (NLM) Publication Grant #5G08 LM07653-02 in support of the creation of a web site titled Factline: Tracking Health in Underserved Communities, www.factline.org. Saqi S. Maleque, MSPH, Researcher, Principal Investigator: Virginia Brennan, PhD.