In 2024, more than 2 million new cancer cases are projected to be diagnosed, and more than 611,700 deaths from cancer are expected, a May American Association of Cancer Research report found.
The AACR Cancer Disparities Progress Report outlined cancer disparities among racial groups, screening, treatment, survivorship and more. The biennial report was first published in 2020 and aims to raise awareness of the toll of cancer by racial and ethnic group and location.
Some of the key drivers of cancer disparities the report found were social determinants of health, ancestry-related biological factors, lack of diversity in existing cancer genomics datasets, underrepresentation of minority groups in clinical trials and lack of diversity in STEM education and career pathways.
The report found a disparity in overall cancer mortality between Black and white populations has narrowed from 33% in 1990 to 11.3% in 2020. However, gaps remain.
Here are seven cancer disparities to know in 2024, per the report:
1. Overall cancer incidence rates among Black and Indigenous populations are lower compared to white people, but the two minority populations have the highest overall cancer death rates of all racial and ethnic groups.
2. Black people are more likely to die of cancer. They are twice as likely to die from prostate cancer, 40% more likely to die from breast cancer and twice as likely to be diagnosed with and die from multiple myeloma.
3. Indigenous, Hispanic and Asian and Pacific Islander people are more than twice as likely to die from stomach cancer compared to white people. They also have higher incidence and mortality rates from liver cancer.
4. Residents of nonmetropolitan or rural counties were 38% more likely to be diagnosed with and die from lung cancer, compared to those living in large metropolitan or urban areas.
5. Sexual and gender minorities also had notable disparities, including transgender individuals having a 76% higher risk of being diagnosed with advanced-stage lung cancer compared to cisgender people.
6. Of the 82 novel therapeutics the FDA approved between 2015 and 2021, 90% lacked adequate representation of Black patients, and 73% lacked adequate representation of Hispanic patients.
7. Cancer survivors who are part of medically underserved populations have higher risks of work health-related quality of life and increased likelihood of cancer recurrence and mortality.
Read the full report here.