Demographic Disparities in Lung Cancer Mortality and Trends in the United States From 1999 Through 2020: A Population-Based CDC Database Analysis
Search for other papers by Alexander J. Didier in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Logan Roof in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by James Stevenson in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Background: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the United States and is projected to account for 127,070 deaths in 2023. Although the lung cancer mortality rate has been decreasing over the last decade, demographic disparities in mortality still exist. We sought to determine the impact of demographic factors on lung cancer mortality and trends in the United States. Patients and Methods: We queried the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) database for mortality statistics with an underlying cause of death of lung and bronchus cancer from 1999 through 2020. Age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMR) were calculated per 100,000 people. We assessed the AAMR by demographic variables, including race, geographic density, sex, age, and US census region. Temporal trends were evaluated using Joinpoint regression software, and average annual percent change (APC) was calculated. Results: From 1999 through 2020, lung cancer led to 3,380,830 deaths. The AAMR decreased by 55.1 to 31.8, with an associated average APC of −2.6%. In 1999, men had an AAMR almost twice as high as women, but these differences became less pronounced over time. Rural populations experienced the highest AAMR and the slowest rate of decrease compared with urban populations, who experienced the lowest AAMR and fastest decrease. Non-Hispanic Black individuals experienced the highest AAMR, with an annual decrease of −3.0%. The West experienced the fastest decrease at −3.1% annually, whereas the Midwest experienced the slowest decrease at −2.0% annually. Conclusions: Although the mortality rate of lung cancer has been decreasing since 1999, not all demographic groups have experienced the same rates of decrease, and disparities in outcomes are still prevalent. Vulnerable subgroups need targeted interventions, such as the incorporation of patient navigators, improved screening chest CT scan access and follow-up, and telehealth expansion, which will improve the likelihood of earlier-stage diagnoses and the potential for curative treatments.
Submitted June 25, 2023; final revision received January 5, 2024; accepted for publication January 8, 2024. Published online June 4, 2024.
Author contributions: Conceptualization: Didier. Supervision: Roof, Stevenson. Writing—original draft: All authors. Writing—review & editing: All authors.
Disclosures: Dr. Stevenson has disclosed serving as a principal investigator for Merck & Co., Inc., Black Diamond Therapeutics, and Alpha Oncology; and serving as a scientific advisor for Arcus Biosciences. The remaining authors have disclosed that they have not received any financial consideration from any person or organization to support the preparation, analysis, results, or discussion of this article.
© 2019-2024 National Comprehensive Cancer Network