Cancer and African Americans

Cancer

Chronic Liver Disease

Infant Health & Mortality

Mental & Behavioral Health

Obesity

Organ and Tissue Donation

Stroke

Black/African Americans have the highest mortality rate of any racial and ethnic group for all cancers combined and for most major cancers. Death rates for all major causes of death are higher for Black/African Americans than for non-Hispanic whites, contributing in part to a lower life expectancy for both Black/African American men and women.

From 2014-2018, African American men were 1.2 times and 1.5 times, respectively, more likely to have new cases of colon and prostate cancer, as compared to non-Hispanic white men.
Black/African American men are 1.8 times as likely to have stomach cancer, as compared to non-Hispanic white men and 2.5 times more likely to die from stomach cancer.
Black/African Americans men have lower 5-year cancer survival rates for most cancer sites, as compared to non-Hispanic white men.
Black/African American men are twice as likely to die from prostate cancer, as compared to non-Hispanic white men.
From 2014-2018, Black/African American women were just as likely to have been diagnosed with breast cancer, however, they were almost 40 percent more likely to die from breast cancer, as compared to non-Hispanic white women.
Black/African American women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with stomach cancer, and they are 2.2 times more likely to die from stomach cancer, as compared to non-Hispanic white women.

Diagnosis

Percentages of cancer among adults aged 18 and over, 2019
Cancer	Non-Hispanic Black	Non-Hispanic White	Non-Hispanic Black/Non-Hispanic White Ratio
All Sites	5.0	12.4	0.4
Breast (women)	1.1	2.0	0.6
Cervical (women)	0.5	1.4	0.3
Prostate (men)	3.0	2.8	1.1

Source: NCHS 2021. National Health Interview Survey. Interactive Summary Health Statistics for Adults – 2019. [Accessed 7/22/2021]
https://wwwn.cdc.gov/NHISDataQueryTool/SHS_adult/index.html

Top Cancer Sites for African Americans (2014-2018)

Cancer Incidence Rates per 100,000 – Men
Cancer	Black Men	Non-Hispanic White Men	Black/Non-Hispanic White Ratio
All Sites	518.9	520.4	1.0
Colon & Rectum	49.9	42.2	1.2
Esophagus	5.8	8.5	0.7
Kidney	24.4	24.2	1.0
Liver & IBD	17.6	11.3	1.6
Lung	69.3	60.7	1.1
Myeloma	16.3	8.5	1.9
Oral Cavity & Pharynx	13.2	20.2	0.7
Pancreas	17.0	16.3	1.0
Prostate	175.8	118.9	1.5
Stomach	13.5	7.7	1.8

*IBD = Intrahepatic Bile Duct

Source: NCI 2021. Seer Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2018. Table 1.24 and SEER*Explorer [ Accessed 7/22/2021].
https://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2018/; https://seer.cancer.gov/explorer/

Top Cancer Sites for African Americans (2014-2018)

Cancer Incidence Rates per 100,000 – Women
Cancer	Black Women	Non-Hispanic White Women	Black/Non-Hispanic White Ratio
All Sites	396.4	460.2	0.9
Breast	124.7	137.9	0.9
Cervical	8.6	6.7	1.3
Colon & Rectum	37.5	32.7	1.1
Kidney	12.1	11.7	1.0
Liver & IBD	5.3	4.0	1.3
Lung	43.3	53.9	0.8
Myeloma	12.1	5.0	2.4
Pancreas	14.3	11.9	1.2
Stomach	7.7	3.8	2.0
Uterus	28.5	28.7	1.0

Source: NCI 2021. Seer Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2018. Table 1.25 and SEER*Explorer [ Accessed 7/22/2021].
https://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2018/; https://seer.cancer.gov/explorer/

5 Year Survival Rate

Percentage of Patients - Men (2011-2017)
Cancer	Black Men	White Men	Black/White Ratio
All Sites	64.7	66.4	1.0
Colon & Rectum	57.6	64.7	0.9
Kidney	74.6	74.8	1.0
Liver & IBD	16.2	19.3	0.8
Lung	16.4	18.1	0.9
Pancreas	9.4	10.9	0.8
Prostate	96.2	97.4	1.0
Stomach	26.5	27.9	0.9

Source: NCI 2021. Seer Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2018. Tables 1.5 and 1.6
https://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2018/sections.html

Percentage of Patients – Women (2011-2017)
Cancer	Black Women	White Women	Black/White Ratio
All Sites	61.4	69.5	0.9
Breast	82.4	91.3	0.9
Cervical	56.3	67.6	0.8
Colon & Rectum	60.9	65.5	0.9
Liver & IBD	21.1	19.2	1.1
Lung	23.3	25.4	0.9
Pancreas	10.9	10.6	1.0
Stomach	39.6	36.6	1.1
Uterus	22.7	28.5	0.8

Source: NCI 2021. Seer Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2018. Tables 1.5 and 1.6
https://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2018/sections.html

Death Rate

Cancer Death Rates per 100,000 – Men (2014-2018)
Cancer	Black Men	Non-Hispanic White Men	Black/Non-Hispanic White Ratio
All Sites	221.1	190.2	1.2
Colon & Rectum	22.5	16.1	1.4
Liver & IBD	13.1	8.4	1.6
Lung	55.4	49.4	1.1
Pancreas	15.0	13.0	1.2
Prostate	37.4	17.9	2.1
Stomach	7.6	3.1	2.5
Myeloma	7.3	3.9	1.9

Source: NCI 2021. Seer Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2018. Table 1.20
https://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2018/sections.html

Cancer Death Rates per 100,000 – Women (2014-2018)
Cancer	Black Women	Non-Hispanic White Women	Black/Non-Hispanic White Ratio
All Sites	150.5	137.8	1.1
Breast	27.3	20.1	1.4
Cervical	3.3	2.0	1.7
Colon & Rectum	14.8	11.5	1.3
Liver & IBD	4.8	3.6	1.3
Myeloma	5.1	2.3	2.2
Pancreas	12.0	9.6	1.3
Stomach	3.5	1.6	2.2
Uterus	8.7	4.5	1.9

Source: NCI 2021. Seer Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2018. Table 1.20
https://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2018/sections.html

Screening

Breast Cancer

Percentage of women age 40 and over who had a mammogram within the past 2 years, 2018 (crude)
Non-Hispanic Black Women	Non-Hispanic White Women	Non-Hispanic Black/Non-Hispanic White Ratio
68.6	68.0	1.0

Source: CDC 2021. Health United States, 2019. Table 33.
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus19-508.pdf [PDF 3.02MB]

Cervical Cancer

Percentage of women age 18 and over who had a Pap smear within the past 3 years, 2018 (crude)
Non-Hispanic Black Women	Non-Hispanic White Women	Non-Hispanic Black/Non-Hispanic White Ratio
75.1	63.7	1.2

Source: CDC 2021. Health United States, 2019. Table 34.
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus19-508.pdf [PDF 3.02MB]

Colon Cancer

Adults aged 50-75 who had any colorectal test or procedure, 2018
Non-Hispanic Black Women	Non-Hispanic White Women	Non-Hispanic Black/Non-Hispanic White Ratio
59.2	64.0	0.9