Clinical Edge

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US Burden of Cancer by Race and Ethnicity

Am J Prev Med; 2016 Nov; Lortet-Tieulent, et al

Cancer burden was highest in blacks, followed by whites, Hispanics, and Asians in a study that analyzed how 24 types of cancer impacted disability-adjusted life years (DALYs).

Investigators looked at DALYs, years of life lost (YLLs), and years lived with disability by race/ethnicity. They also analyzed vital statistics, and conducted literature reviews. Among the results:

  • Nearly 10 million DALYs (91% YLLs) were lost to cancer.
  • Half of DALYs were due to lung (24%), breast (10%), colorectal (9%), and pancreatic (6%) cancers.
  • When looking at all cancers, the DALY rate in black vs white patients was 30% higher in men and 20% higher in women.
  • The rate was also higher in blacks for 15 specific cancers.
  • Compared with whites, Hispanics and Asians had lower rates when looking at all cancers and common cancers; however, they had higher rates for infection-related cancers.

Citation:

Lortet-Tieulent J, Soerjomataram I, Lin C, Coebergh J, Jemal A. US burden of cancer by race and ethnicity according to disability-adjusted life years. Am J Prev Med. 2016;51(5):673-681. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2016.07.039.