Cancer mortality rates amongst Black people are on the decline, according to a new report by the American Cancer Society.
Released late last week, the report, published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, found that cancer mortality rate declined by 49% from 1991 to 2022 for Black men and by 33% in the same span for Black women.
To compile the data, the researchers analyzed the most recent information on cancer incidence, survival, screening, mortality and risk factors. In their findings, they reported that Black men had the most significant improvements, particularly amongst those in the 40-59 age range, as they marked a 65%-67% decrease.
Despite the lower mortality rates, investigators from the American Cancer Society reported that disparities in cancer burdens continue to persist as Black men and women are still more likely to be diagnosed with fatal cases of cancer. Black people continue to struggle with cancers such as prostate, breast, lung and colorectal as they make up 58% of all new cases.
When it comes to cancers like prostate cancer and breast cancer, Black men and women have a 67% and 38% respective increase in the chance of passing away from their illness compared to white people.
For Black women, they are further burdened with endometrial cancer as the cancer incidence rate continues to increase by 2% each year.
“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 the interim chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick, per a statement. “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.”
In their report, researchers emphasized the impact systemic racism has on exacerbating these rates. In previous studies, experts have highlighted the link between the two as it prevents people from BIPOC communities from getting the help they need.
Per the latest release from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, structural, institutional, interpersonal and intrapersonal racism all delay treatment and early cancer detection.
While structural racism enables difficulties in accessing and paying for health care, institutional racism ensures that there are practices and policies in place that make treatment inaccessible, leading to a decreased chance of surviving the illness. For instance, Black women are not as likely to live five years after getting a cervical cancer diagnosis.
Proper treatment is also blocked by interpersonal racism, which leads to discriminatory behavior from medical professionals’ own racial prejudice, and intrapersonal racism which pushes stereotypes onto people from BIPOC communities.
To help defend against structural racism, the American Cancer Society suggested that changes, such as more representation in clinical trials, must be made.
“Given this latest data, it’s also more important than ever to understand how to reduce your chance of getting cancer,” said the chief scientific officer, Dr. William Dahut. “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.”
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