In the last 55 years, the burden of cancer mortality has shifted from urban populations to rural communities, according to a study published March 19 in JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Researchers from the American Cancer Society analyzed National Center for Health Statistics data from 27,710,318 cancer deaths between 1969 and 2023 for the study.
Here are five things to know:
- Between 1969 and 1971, overall cancer mortality was highest in large metropolitan areas and lowest in nonmetropolitan areas with an urban population of 5,000 or less.
Within 50 years, mortality rates completely reversed. Between 2021 and 2023, overall cancer mortality was highest in non-metropolitan areas with the smallest urban population and lowest in large metropolitan areas. - The crossover occurred in the 1990s for men and in the early 2000s for women and has continued in the same direction since then.
- The reversal was also seen across lung, colorectal and breast cancer mortality during the same 50-year period, though crossover years varied by cancer type.
- The largest reversal over the study period was found in lung cancer mortality.
- “Higher cancer mortality rates for rural residents in the U.S. are largely driven by limited access to care, lower screening rates, higher poverty, higher prevalence of smoking and several other factors,” the American Cancer Society said in a March 18 news release.
Read the full study here.
