Delaware's cancer death rate still higher than U.S.
Delaware's cancer death rate is declining, but remains higher than the national average, a report released Monday said.
Lung cancer still accounts for almost one-third of cancer deaths in the state, but the deaths of African-Americans from lung cancer are falling dramatically and more cases of breast and prostate cancer are being caught at a treatable stage, the report by state health officials said.
The “Cancer Incidence and Mortality in Delaware” report analyzes data from 2009 to 2013 and said there were 176.1 deaths per 100,000 people between 2009-2013, making the mortality rate 5 percent higher than the U.S. rate of 168.5 per 100,000.
That ranks Delaware 16th highest in total cancer deaths, two spots lower than last year’s report.
The report, released Monday following a Delaware Cancer Consortium meeting in Dover, said the state’s overall cancer death rate decreased 15 percent from 1993-2003 to 2009-2013. This number is slightly higher than the national decrease of 14 percent.
The report had some good news.
From 2009-2013, the state’s cancer mortality rate decreased 18 percent among men, 14 percent among women, 24 percent among African-Americans and 13 percent among whites over the last 10 years, according to the data.
Health officials say there is "more work to be done" when it comes to lung cancer, specifically in women. Lung cancer accounts for 14 percent of all newly diagnosed cancer cases (down from 14.4) and 30 percent of all cancer deaths in the state from 2009-2013, according to the report.
Delaware women ranked 11th highest in the country for lung cancer mortality while men ranked 16th highest, according to the data. Tobacco use rates have drastically fallen among men, but still remain high among women in the state.
The study said Delaware males are more likely to report being current smokers than females.
Last year, the report said the state ranked 14th in the nation for cancer deaths and was 5.8 percent higher than the national rate from 2008 to 2012.
Delaware has battled lung cancer for decades. In the 1990s, the First State's death rate was second in the nation.
Smoking cigarettes is linked to about 80 to 90 percent of all lung cancers, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
The state's smoking rate is on par with the nation's smoking prevalence rates, said Zeinab Baba, an epidemiologist for the health department.
Smoking among adults was at an all-time low of 20 percent in the state from 2009 to 2013, and it's stayed there, the report said.
From 1999-2003 to 2009-2013, the death rate for lung cancer dropped 36 percent among African American males and 23 percent among African-American females, according to the data.
Health officials believe lung cancer screenings will eventually lead to an even bigger decrease in the lung cancer mortality rate, said Patricia Hoge, co-chair of the state's cancer risk reduction committee.
Before January 2013, lung cancer screenings weren't recommended by American Cancer Society, the report said. By the time most patients were diagnosed, the cancer had already spread, according to the study.
Now, there are options for lung cancer screenings in the state, said Lisa Henry, chronic disease bureau chief for the division of public health.The state's Screening for Life program began covering lung cancer screenings in 2015 for current and former smokers.
Nationwide, the screenings have made an impact, Hoge said.
“I think the proof will be in the pudding but it will take a few years,” she said. “We have got to continue a hard press on reducing tobacco consumption … The moment we turn our backs there will be a new product and a new push.”
Delaware saw improvements for other cancers, particularly breast, prostate and colorectal, she said.
The implementation of the Affordable Care Act has allowed more people to obtain preventative care, Hoge said.
"People who haven’t been able to have access have medical homes now," she said.
The state still ranks No. 3 for women ages 40 and over who have had a mammogram within the past two years, according to the data.
The proportion of breast cancer cases among Delaware women diagnosed in the most treatable stage of the disease increased to 65 percent in 2009-2013. It's highly likely the increase in early detection of breast cancer led to the 19 percent decrease in disease's mortality rate, the report said.
Likewise, from 1980-1984 through 2009-2013, the state’s percentage of prostate cancer cases diagnosed at the most treatable stage increased from 50 percent to 81 percent, according to the study.
And for colorectal cancer screenings, about 77 percent of Delawareans age 50 and older reported having a sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy. The state is ranked fifth-highest for these type of screenings.
Contact Meredith Newman at (302) 324-2386 or at email@example.com. Follow her at @merenewman