Recent research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that life expectancy and overall health hasn’t improved equally across the country. One area where that discrepancy is particularly apparent is Georgia.
In the state, where 1 in every 5 deaths is linked to cancer — most often lung and colorectal cancer — Black men are 19 % more likely than white men to die from the disease, and Black women are 9 % more likely to die than white women. When it comes to prostate and stomach cancers, Black men are three times more likely to die than white men — and, for colorectal cancer, 56 % more likely to die.
Prostate, cervical and oral cancers are also more prevalent in Black people who live in parts of the state — especially parts of central Georgia — where health and socioeconomic factors are worse.
The inequities, sadly, aren’t new: “I have been a breast cancer surgeon for over 25 years, and I have seen disparities even before I became a surgeon,” Anita Johnson, M.D., F.A.C.S., a breast surgical oncologist and director of the Women’s Cancer Center at City of Hope® Cancer Center Atlanta told OncLive®.
Dr. Johnson added: “I trained at one of the foremost indigent hospital systems and observed patients coming in with late-stage diagnosis, whether it be cancer or advanced hypertension. We oftentimes see patients who are under-insured, who do not typically have access to care, present with late-stage disease. This is something that has been going on for hundreds of years.”
In this article, we’ll explore:
- Cancer Deaths Among Black Women in Georgia
- Black Men and Cancer Deaths in Georgia
- Cancer Disparities in the Southeast
- What’s Behind the Higher Mortality Rate?
- Cancer Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment in Atlanta
If you’re experiencing cancer symptoms and would like to know more about your screening or diagnosis options, call us 24/7 at 877-524-4673.
Cancer Deaths Among Black Women in Georgia
The statistics on cancer disparities in Georgia are staggering, as detailed below.
Breast cancer: Black women with breast cancer die more than white women from the same disease.
Cervical cancer: Black women with cervical cancer have mortality rates almost one-and-a-half times as high as white women. (This disparity increases with age, with Black women over age 70 almost three times as likely to die as white women. It also increases the farther Black women live from urban areas. In rural parts of the state, cervical cancer affects Black women almost 50 percent as much as white women.)
Cancer screening: Black women in Georgia are more likely to have never been screened for cervical cancer. From 2014 to 2018, 7.7 % of Black women ages 21 to 65 had never been screened, compared with 4.9 % of white women.
Later diagnosis: Black women are also more likely to be diagnosed with cervical cancer at an advanced stage and have lower five-year survival rates.
Survival rates: Across both genders, the five-year survival rate for Black people in Georgia with colorectal cancer is 65.4 %, compared with 69.9 % for white people.
Lung cancer: For lung cancer across both genders, the five-year survival rate for Black people in Georgia is also lower than white people: 22.8 percent compared with 25.5 percent.
Black Men and Cancer Deaths in Georgia
Among men in the state, the disparities are equally troubling, as noted below.
Prostate cancer: Black men are five times more likely to die from prostate cancer than white men.
Lung cancer: The five-year survival rate for lung cancer is slightly lower in Black men and women than it is in white men and women — 20 % versus 22 %. But studies have found that even when lung cancer is diagnosed early, Black people are less likely than white people to have surgery, which is currently the most effective treatment for the disease.
Cancer Disparities in the Southeast
It’s not just Georgia, either. Cancer disparities are stark across the United States’ Deep South region.
In general, more people die from cancer in the southern U.S. states like Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana than anywhere else in the country.
In Alabama, for example, more people are both diagnosed with cancer and die from the disease compared to the rest of the country. And Black people who live in Alabama (and make up more than 26 % of the state’s population) have markedly higher rates of cancer mortality compared to white people.
Although breast cancer incidence is lower in Black women in Alabama than it is in white women, the mortality rate for Black women is higher. And both incidence and mortality rates of cervical cancer is higher in Black women compared to white in the state.
In Mississippi, incidence and mortality rates of prostate cancer are higher than the national average — largely due to higher rates of the disease among Black men. And in Louisiana, Black people have a 15 % higher chance of dying from cancer than white people.
What’s Behind the Higher Mortality Rate?
Access to health care is a core component of any conversation around cancer disparities.
One important culprit is a lack of medical insurance. Another is a lack of access to health care facilities. In Alabama, for example, 17 counties don't have access to adequate social and medical services. Each of these has a population that is at least 50 % Black.
Another barrier to health equity is geography.
In Mississippi, the largely rural and heavily segregated Delta Region has been linked to poorer quality education, reduced access to employment, more concentrated poverty, higher infant mortality rates, and reduced access to both primary and specialty health care.
In Georgia, one study noted that income rates among Black people who have cancer are also lower in the state than white people with cancer. So is full insurance coverage for cancer treatment.
“Being gainfully employed frequently provides individuals with benefits like health insurance and paid time off,” Dr. Johnson said in an article published by Managed Healthcare Executive. “These are important contributing factors to access screening, which can lead to earlier diagnoses of cancer and subsequently better outcomes, as well as the ability to seek and maintain cancer treatment.”
A report from the Southern Rural Black Women's Initiative for Economic and Social Justice (SRBWI) and Human Rights Watch also found that barriers to care for Black women in rural Georgia include racial discrimination and distrust of the medical field.
Other studies have found that Black people are more likely than white people to associate cancer with death, less likely to talk about family cancer history and less likely to know when to start cancer screenings.
“Lack of access to high-quality screening and treatment, or to clinical trials, are heavily rooted in social inequity,” Dr. Johnson said in the Managed Healthcare Executive article. “In the long term, social reform is needed to address inequity in income, wealth and health insurance access.
“In the short to medium term, health systems and cancer care providers need to recognize how inequity affects their patient populations and use existing resources that do help ensure that everyone has access to current therapies instead of solely focusing on new innovations that will not be accessible to many in the population.”
Cancer Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment in Atlanta
The mission at City of Hope Atlanta is making screening and diagnostic tools available to as many patients as possible.
Through the Cancer Screening and Diagnostic Program, you can receive a screening for cancers including lung, breast, colorectal and skin. You can also determine whether you’re at an elevated risk for developing cancer using our Risk Management Tool (RMT).
The Cancer Screening and Diagnostic Program also offers quick appointments (typically within one week of a request) and rapid test results for patients who are at high risk for developing cancer and those who fit recognized cancer screening guidelines.
Learn more about the Cancer Screening and Diagnostic Program at City of Hope Cancer Center Atlanta or call 770-400-6677 for more information.