Native Americans in the Southwest are faring better when it comes to cancer than those living in other parts of the country, but they still face significantly higher rates for some cancers when compared to non-Hispanic whites.
In a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released in June 2024 analyzing data from 2017-2021, the comparison between Southwest Native Americans and their white neighbors showed:
- A 400% higher rate of gallbladder cancer
- A 198% higher rate of stomach cancer
- A 136% higher rate of liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer
- A 100% higher rate of renal pelvis and kidney cancer
- A 37% higher rate of myeloma
In addition, studies show a smaller proportion of Native Americans are getting the recommended screenings available for certain cancers, contributing to more dangerous advanced-stage diagnoses in their communities.
In this article, we’ll explain:
- Cancer Among Native Americans in the Southwest
- Cervical Cancer in Native American Women
- Cancer Rates Are Only Part of the Story
- Which Cancers Are Native Americans More Likely to Develop?
- Cancer Death Rates among Native Americans
- What’s behind the Numbers?
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer and are looking for a second opinion, call us 24/7 at 877-524-4673.
Cancer Among Native Americans in the Southwest
The American Cancer Society’s (ACS) Cancer Statistics 2025 report found that Native Americans have the highest cancer mortality in the country, but it’s a different story in the Southwest.
In studies going back 20 years or more, statistics show that Native Americans in the Southwest generally have lower cancer rates than those living in other regions — and that their cancer rates are regularly lower when compared to whites living in the same counties.
The difference extends to cancer mortality rates as well, where Native Americans in the Southwest overall have better survival statistics than their white neighbors. The reports define the Southwest region as Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and Colorado.
Consider these positive examples about non-Hispanic Native Americans from the Southwest taken from a special section added to the ACS Cancer Facts & Figures 2022 report:
- Native-American women in the Southwest were 45% less likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than white women living in the same counties.
- The lung cancer rate in the Southwest was 64% lower for Native Americans than for whites.
- The overall cancer rate for Native Americans in the Southwest was 23% lower than for similarly situated whites in tribal or tribal-adjacent counties.
But the data also identified areas of concern when comparing Native Americans in the Southwest to whites living in the same areas, including a 16% higher rate of colorectal cancer among Native Americans.
Nationally, the 2025 ACS report said Native American mortality rates are double or triple those for non-Hispanic whites when it comes to kidney, liver, stomach and cervical cancers, with similar rate disparities in the 2022 ACS report for Native Americans living in the Southwest.
Another report studying California’s Native American population — which some might also consider part of the Southwest — had similar findings to the other reports. It said that for most cancers, Native Americans in California had significantly lower incidence rates.
“The only cancers for which incidence rates among Native Americans were higher than among whites were cancers of the liver and intrahepatic bile duct (liver), kidney and renal pelvis (kidney), stomach, and cervix,” said the report, Cancer Burden Among Native Americans in California. The report was prepared by the California Cancer Reporting and Epidemiologic Surveillance Program and the Institute for Population Health Improvement at the University of California Davis.
Cervical Cancer in Native American Women
American Indian and Alaska Native women are nearly twice as likely to develop cervical cancer compared to white women and four times as likely to die from it, according to the National Indian Council on Aging. Additionally, they are often diagnosed in more advanced stages, making successful treatment more difficult.
But researchers at the University of Arizona Cancer Center and Northern Arizona University (NAU) are shedding light on one potential cause for this disparity: vaginal dysbiosis, a disruption in the balance of microorganisms that live in the vagina.
After testing vaginal swabs from study participants — roughly half of whom were Native American — the team found that certain protective bacteria, lactobacillus, were dominant in only 44% of Native women compared to 58% of non-Native women. Lactobacillus can help defend against pathogens, like human papilloma virus (HPV), which causes more than 90% of all cervical cancer cases, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Native American study participants also had increased rates of high-risk HPV and elevated vaginal pH, which can lead to inflammation and reduced protection against pathogens. Researchers also found a connection between health disparities among Native women and a person’s healthy defense mechanisms, which could contribute to higher cervical cancer rates in this population.
“While more work needs to be done to understand the relationship between vaginal dysbiosis and cervical cancer risk, this study shows the need for more quality, culturally competent health care for Native American women,” says Shana Wingo, M.D., F.A.C.O.G., a gynecologic oncologist at City of Hope® Cancer Center Phoenix, which serves patients across the Valley through a main hospital in Goodyear and at outpatient locations conveniently located in Gilbert, North Phoenix and Scottsdale.
Dr. Wingo, who has published several studies on health disparities, says consistent screening for cervical cancer risk factors and gynecological health is essential to reducing rates of the disease.
“Practitioners should be aware of the additional risk factors that Native American women may face and address them with their patients,” Dr. Wingo says.
Cancer Rates Tell Only Part of the Story
Despite the lower incidence rates of cancer overall experienced in many Native American communities, questions arise about how accurately they capture what’s happening. Some key findings in the California report, which apply to other Native Americans in the Southwest and across the country, show:
Increasing cancer rates. Incidence rates are falling for non-Hispanic whites for many cancers, but there’s no such decline in rates for Native Americans in the 10 top cancers. Instead, “statistically significant increases in the incidence of lung, colon and rectum, female breast, uterus, kidney, liver, and oral cancers were observed” among Native Americans, the report said.
Lower screening rates for cancer. Native Americans had a greater proportion of advanced-stage diagnoses for cancers that were detectable by screening (melanoma and female breast, cervical, colon and rectal, prostate, oral and lung cancers), showing that improved screening rates could lead to improved outcomes.
Lower survival rates. Five-year survival rates for Native Americans diagnosed with cancer were significantly lower than for white patients — no matter their age or gender — even when tumors were diagnosed at an early stage. Socio-economic status also played a role, as those in poorer areas had significantly lower survival rates as well.
Which Cancers Are Native Americans More Likely to Develop?
Below are the CDC rankings for the most common cancers diagnosed in Native Americans – women on the left; men on the right – from 2017-2021. The chart shows how they’re ranked nationally among Native Americans and their rank for Southwest Native Americans.
| National rank | Cancers in women | Southwest rank | National rank | Cancers in men | Southwest rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Breast | 1 | 1 | Prostate | 1 | |
| 2 | Lung | 6 | 2 | Lung | 5 | |
| 3 | Colorectal | 3 | 3 | Colorectal | 3 | |
| 4 | Uterine | 2 | 4 | Kidney | 2 | |
| 5 | Kidney | 4 | 5 | Kidney | 4 | |
| 6 | Thyroid | 5 | 6 | Bladder | 11 | |
| 7 | Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma | 7 | 7 | Oral | 12 | |
| 8 | Pancreatic | 10 | 8 | Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma | 7 | |
| 9 | Ovarian | 9 | 9 | Leukemia | 10 | |
| 10 | Kidney | 8 | 10 | Pancreatic | 8 | |
| 11 | Cervical | 13 | 11 | Stomach | 6 | |
| 12 | Leukemia | 12 | 12 | Melanoma | 15 | |
| 13 | Melanoma | 15 | 13 | Esophageal | 13 | |
| 14 | Stomach | 11 | 14 | Myeloma | 9 | |
| 15 | Oral | 18 | 15 | Testicular | 14 |
Cancer Death Rates Among Native Americans
In the Southwest region, overall cancer death rates were 21% lower for Native Americans than for whites between 1999 and 2009, according to a CDC-led 2014 report on cancer disparities among Native Americans and Alaska Natives in the United States.
But nationally, the report showed Native Americans had an 11% higher mortality rate than their white neighbors. The most dramatic differences were in the Northern Plains, where Native Americans had a 51% higher mortality rate, and Alaska, where their mortality rate was 44% higher.
Native Americans in the Southwest also experienced troublesome cancer mortality rates.
Among males in the region, the mortality rate for stomach cancer was four times higher among Native Americans than for whites — and their liver and kidney cancer mortality rates were more than twice as high. For Native American women, the gallbladder cancer mortality rate was more than eight times higher than for white women, stomach and liver cancer mortality rates were more than three times higher, and kidney and cervical cancer mortality rates were more than twice as high.
The leading cancer killers for Native American men in the Southwest region are (deaths per 100,000 population):
- Prostate cancer (22.4)
- Lung cancer (20.1)
- Stomach cancer (15.4)
- Colorectal cancer (13.2)
- Liver cancer (13.0)
For Native American women in the Southwest, the leading cancer killers were:
- Breast cancer (15.2)
- Lung cancer (11.6)
- Colorectal cancer (10.2)
- Ovarian cancer (9.5)
- Pancreatic cancer (8.6)
What’s Behind the Numbers?
The 2025 ACS cancer statistics report said race and ethnicity reporting errors — in medical records and on death certificates — have led to underestimated cancer figures for non-whites, particularly for Native Americans.
While these errors have been reduced by restricting cases to those found in areas serviced by Indian Health Services, that process ends up excluding a third of the Native American population, mainly those living in urban centers, the report said. It cautioned that the adjustment procedures are based on overall cancer numbers and may overestimate or underestimate the Native American rates for specific cancers.
When it comes to cancer, Native Americans also have a higher prevalence of some risk factors, including:
- Obesity
- Presence of helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)
- Presence of hepatitis C
- Tobacco use
- Poor screening rates for cancer
“[American Indian and Alaskan Native] men and women are vulnerable to cancer disparities due to long-standing inequalities in [socioeconomic status], education, and access to care,” the ACS report reads. “This population not only has a higher burden of major cancer risk factors (e.g., cigarette smoking, obesity, and cancer-causing infections) compared to Whites, but are also more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage and receive substandard treatment. Many of these disparities could be reduced by increasing access to high-quality cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment.”
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer and are looking for a second opinion, call us 24/7 at 877-524-4673.