Abstract C07: Utilizing state cancer profiles for communicating lung cancer disparities
Authors: Percy-Laurry Antoinette , Tatalovich Zaria 
Published: May 2015

Lung cancer is the third most common cancer in the US and is the leading cause of death. The accurate profiling of lung cancer (i.e. depiction of the magnitude of this disease among the different population subgroups at the state and local levels) is necessary to inform the development of effective cancer control programs in the areas most impacted, and subsequently, reduce the cancer burden. One of the prerequisites for accurate profiling of cancer is a high quality cancer data. Unfortunately, researchers often rely on a combination of data sources that may differ in data quality, completeness and other important attributes. The State Cancer Profiles website is perhaps the most comprehensive, and high quality resource that provides national, state and local level cancer data collected from CDC's National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) and NCI's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program. Lung cancer data from State Cancer Profiles can be utilized to assess the burden and the risks, identify trends, examine sociodemographic data, expose economic, geographic and racial disparities, identify research opportunities and make important informed decisions. In this particular project, we demonstrate how State Cancer Profiles can be used effectively to profile lung cancer and identify health disparities, using the State of Indiana as an example.

Method: We utilized rate/trend comparison, mortality rates, historical trends as well as screening and risk factors data to profile lung cancer mortality. A series of maps and tables were generated to communicate the geographic differences in lung cancer mortality at the local and state levels.

Results: Results show how the state of Indiana compares to other states and the within state variation in cancer and risk factors. Indiana is the 7th highest state in lung cancer mortality rates. The death rate in Indiana is above the US average nonetheless, the trend is stable for females and falling for males. Orange, Wayne and White counties have the highest death rates which are above the Indiana and US averages and show rising trends. Marion County, also show death rates above the state and US averages. However, the trend is falling. In Marion County, African Americans (a predominant population in the county) have higher death rates compared to whites, 75.8 vs. 66.3. Similarly, in Allen County, African Americans have high rates compare to whites, 68.5 vs. 48.7. As far as risk factors, Indiana is the 6th highest state in the percentage of current smokers. It is noteworthy, that indoor smoking is legislated by only 30% of the state. Demographic data show that 83% of Indiana's population under the age of 65 is insured. Of the families in Indiana, 10% are below poverty. Marion County shows poverty rate at 14.2.

Conclusion: The information offered by State Cancer Profiles is useful for developing a profile of cancer; for identifying the areas where cancer burden is the greatest and subgroups of populations that are most impacted. It reveals that racial disparities in lung cancer exist at both the state and county levels, despite the fact that the overall mortality rates are dropping. Furthermore, it shows the demographic characteristics and risk factors that are relevant for understanding cancer burden. In conclusion, State Cancer Profiles is an excellent tool for communicating health disparities, depicting cancer burden and informing cancer control planning.

Citation Format: Antoinette Percy-Laurry, Zaria Tatalovich. Utilizing state cancer profiles for communicating lung cancer disparities. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Sixth AACR Conference: The Science of Cancer Health Disparities; Dec 6–9, 2013; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2014;23(11 Suppl):Abstract nr C07. doi:10.1158/1538-7755.DISP13-C07