Abstract A10: Trends and patterns of disparities in tracheal, bronchus, and lung cancer mortality among U.S. counties, 1980-2014
Authors: Aichour Miloud Taki Eddine , Zaidi Zoubida 
Published: February 2019

Background: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among men and the second leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide. Rates are highest in countries where smoking uptake began earliest, such as those in North America and Europe. Although rates are now decreasing in most of these countries, especially in men, they are increasing in countries where smoking uptake occurred later. Variation between countries may reflect different prevalence of risk factors. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women in the United States. In the United States, smoking rates among women peaked after those among men. The main objective is to estimate age-standardized mortality rates by U.S. county from tracheal, bronchus, and lung cancer.

Methods: The finding of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2015 methodology with death records from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and population counts from the Census Bureau, the NCHS, and the Human Mortality Database from 1980 to 2014 were used.

Results: A total of 5,656,423 deaths from tracheal, bronchus, and lung (TBL) cancer were recorded. There were large differences in the mortality rate among counties throughout this period. TBL cancer mortality declined by 21.0% (95% UI, 17.9%-24.0%) between 1980 and 2014, from 68.6 (95% UI, 66.8-70.3) deaths per 100,000 population to 54.2 (95% UI, 52.7-55.6). The West and Northeast experienced declines in the mortality rate, as did Florida, while increases were observed in the South, Appalachian region. The largest increase from 1980 to 2014 was observed in Owsley County, Kentucky (99.7%; 95% UI, 73.7%-130.8%), while the greatest decline was observed in Aleutians East Borough and Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska (63.6%; 95% UI, 50.3%-73.5%). High mortality rates in 2014 were clustered in West Virginia. Because national rates peaked in 1988, women in 2,215 counties experienced a statistically significant increase in the mortality rate, while this was true for men in only 11 counties. The highest national mortality rate for men was present in 1980, while the peak in mortality rate for women was in 2001. The largest percentage increase (168.3%; 95% UI, 136.4%207.8) from 1980 to the peak in 2001 for women was observed in Marlboro County, South Carolina (mortality rate of 67.1 deaths per 100 000). Mortality rates varied from 10.6 (95% UI, 8.6-12.8) in Summit County, Colorado, to 334.9 (95% UI, 300.5-375.2) in Union County, Florida, for males and 10.9 (95% UI, 8.3-13.8) in Summit County, Colorado, to 121 (95% UI, 101.6-142.0) in Owsley County, Kentucky, for females. Low rates were observed along the US border with Mexico and in Utah, Colorado, and parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Idaho.

Conclusion: From 1980 to 2014 there has been a steady decline in the cancer death rate as a result of fewer Americans smoking and advances in cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment. Local efforts to reduce smoking in poor and rural areas are needed to reduce the burden of smoking-related cancer and other diseases.

Note: This abstract was not presented at the conference.

Citation Format: Miloud Taki Eddine Aichour, Zoubida Zaidi. Trends and patterns of disparities in tracheal, bronchus, and lung cancer mortality among U.S. counties, 1980-2014 [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Fifth AACR-IASLC International Joint Conference: Lung Cancer Translational Science from the Bench to the Clinic; Jan 8-11, 2018; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2018;24(17_Suppl):Abstract nr A10.