Cancer death rates among U.S. Black and Hispanic youth are higher than among their White peers, despite the overall progress in reducing cancer deaths, a new report found.
Published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday, the report analyzed data from the National Vital Statistics System from 2001 to 2021.
Between 2001 and 2011, percentage declines in cancer death rates were similar among Black, White and Hispanic youth, ranging from 15 to 17 percent, according to the report.
But from 2011 through 2021, only the death rate for White youth continued to decline, by 12 percent, while rates for Black and Hispanic youth remained stable.
In 2001 and 2011, differences in cancer death rates among Black, White and Hispanic youth were not “statistically significant.” But in 2021, the rate for White youth was 19 to 20 percent lower than for Black and Hispanic youth.
As such, in 2021, the rate for White youth was significantly lower than for Black and Hispanic youth. The 2021 rate per 10,000 was 2.38 for Black youth, 2.36 for Hispanic youth and 1.99 for White youth, according to the CDC report.
The report did not provide potential reasons for the significant racial and ethnic disparities in youth cancer death rates.
But cancer doctors and public health experts have been expressing concerns about a lack of equal access to new cancer treatments or treatment centers which are expensive, putting them out of reach for low-income patients.
The CDC data showed that racial and ethnic minority groups, throughout the United States, experience higher rates of illness and death across a wide range of health conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, obesity, asthma, and heart disease, when compared to their White counterparts.
Source: Xinhua
