The first data viz below shows the lifetime risk of being diagnosed with any cancer among blacks and whites in the U.S. by sex. White males have the highest lifetime risk (44.3%), while black women have the lowest risk (36.4%). Black men have the same risk as white women (42.0%).
It is important to note that these estimated lifetime risks take into account competing causes of death. This means that because black men are much more likely to die of homicide than white men, black men may have a lower lifetime risk of cancer because they have a higher risk of dying from other things, like homicide.
Lifetime risk of being diagnosed with cancer
Males and females
Now let’s look at the black vs. white difference in the lifetime risk of a cancer diagnosis by cancer type among men. Along the y-axis in the figure below is cancer type, ordered from top to bottom according to the difference in risk. Melanoma is at the top because the black vs. white difference is -4.66%. This means that black men have a 4.66% less chance of being diagnosed with melanoma in their lifetime compared to white men. Prostate cancer is at the bottom of the y-axis because the difference is +4.92%, meaning that black men have a 4.92% greater chance of being diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime compared to white men. For the majority of cancers, black men and white men have a very similar lifetime risk of diagnosis.
Lifetime risk of being diagnosed with specific cancers
Quantitative difference
Black males vs. white males
If we were to classify a difference in lifetime risk between black and white men of + or - 1% as being roughly the same risk then there would only be four types of cancer, not including all sites, for which the lifetime risk in black vs. white men was different. These four cancers are melanoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, prostate and bladder cancer, as shown in the data viz below. The cancers in green are those for which the lifetime risk is lower in black men vs. white men (i.e. <1% different). The cancers in red are those for which the lifetime risk is higher in black men vs. white men (i.e. >1% different). The cancers in grey, which are the majority of the cancer types, are those for which the lifetime risk is roughly the same (i.e. + or - 1%).
Lifetime risk of being diagnosed with specific cancers
Qualitative difference
Black males vs. white males
Now let's take a look at the difference in the lifetime risk of a cancer diagnosis, by cancer type, in women. In the data viz below, the y-axis is sorted from top to bottom according to the difference in risk in black vs. whites, with the smallest value at the top and the largest value at the bottom. Black women are less likely, similar to what we saw above with black men, to be diagnosed with melanoma than white women. Black women are also less likely to be diagnosed with breast and lung cancer than white women.
Lifetime risk of being diagnosed with specific cancers
Quantitative difference
Black females vs. white females
If we were to classify a difference in lifetime risk between black and white women of + or - 1% as being roughly the same risk then there would only be three types of cancer, not including all sites, for which the lifetime risk in black vs. white women was different: breast, lung and melanoma (shown below). There are no red bars in this data viz for women, as there were for men. This is because there are no cancers for which black women are more likely to be diagnosed during their lifetime than white women.
Lifetime risk of being diagnosed with specific cancers
Qualitative difference
Black females vs. white females
Overall, what the five data viz in this post highlight is that the overall risk of a lifetime diagnosis of cancer is lower in blacks vs. whites. However, the overall lower risk is really driven by a few cancers, since the lifetime risk is roughly the same for the majority of cancers. Given this overall conclusion, one might assume this translates to a lower, if not similar, overall lifetime risk of death from cancer in blacks vs. whites. To find out if this is true stay tuned for the next post.
Notes: A cancer diagnosis includes both invasive and In situ cancers.
Data Source Males: SEER Cancer Statistics Review 1975-2011. Table 1.16. Lifetime Risk (Percent) of Being Diagnosed with Cancer by Site and Race/Ethnicity Males, 18 SEER Areas, 2009-2011.
Accessed on February 24, 2015.
Data Source Females: SEER Cancer Statistics Review 1975-2011. Table 1.17. Lifetime Risk (Percent) of Being Diagnosed with Cancer by Site and Race/Ethnicity Females, 18 SEER Areas, 2009-2011.
Accessed on February 24, 2015.