States with the highest cancer rates

An estimated 38% of adults will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetimes, according to the National Cancer Institute, making cancer a top medical priority: National Center for Health Statistics reports cancer is the most-researched disease in the U.S.

The National Institutes of Health dedicated more than $6 billion to cancer research in 2020. While this research has led to new treatments contributing to a consistent decrease in cancer mortality rates throughout the 21st century, about one-third of patients will not survive five years after their diagnoses. This threat is still a long way from being eradicated.

It's difficult to generalize trends of how cancer spreads across different populations. The term cancer in fact refers to a collection of more than 100 related diseases, each of which involves a breakdown in normal body processes due to cells dividing uncontrollably and spreading into surrounding areas. Every one of these individual diseases has different potential causes, and scientists are still hard at work identifying links between possiblecarcinogens and actual disease rates. Still, we can see a clear variation between groups of people on a geographic levelparticularly when comparing cancer rates across all 50 U.S. states. What factors might cause some states to have more people diagnosed with cancer each year, while other states have less? These questions are still being investigated, but hospitals and other research centers in every state are working to find answers.

To examine this geographic distribution, Stacker used data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which carefully track the rates at which cancer affects the American population. We ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia by their incidence rates of cancer in 2017 (the most recent data available). The incidence rate refers to the number of people out of 100,000 who are diagnosed with cancer in a givenyear and is age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard population. We've also included incidence rates for the three most prevalent types of cancer in the U.S.: lung and bronchus cancer, prostate cancer, and breast cancer. Incidence rates for breast cancer and prostate cancer are only available for women and men respectively, even though both of these conditions may impact all genders. And, for 39 of 51 slides, the story includes local charities that support cancer patients and medical research in these states, collected via Charity Navigator.

Read on to find out how your state fares.

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- Cancer rate: 361.1 new incidents per 100,000 people (17.6% below U.S. average)

- Cancer rate by gender: 373.5 per 100k men; 354.9 per 100k women

- Deaths due to cancer: 138.2 per 100k (9.7% below U.S. average; #7 lowest among all states)

- Lung and bronchus cancer rate: 33.7 per 100k (38.7% below U.S. average; #2 lowest among all states)

- Breast cancer rate: 112.7 per 100k women (9.8% below U.S. average; #6 lowest among all states)

- Prostate cancer rate: 81.7 per 100k men (23.6% below U.S. average; #2 lowest among all states)

- Notable local charity: Not applicable

- Cancer rate: 374.9 new incidents per 100,000 people (14.4% below U.S. average)

- Cancer rate by gender: 402 per 100k men; 355.3 per 100k women

- Deaths due to cancer: 134.9 per 100k (11.8% below U.S. average; #4 lowest among all states)

- Lung and bronchus cancer rate: 43.3 per 100k (21.3% below U.S. average; #7 lowest among all states)

- Breast cancer rate: 109 per 100k women (12.8% below U.S. average; #2 lowest among all states)

- Prostate cancer rate: 79.7 per 100k men (25.5% below U.S. average; #1 lowest among all states)

- Notable local charity: Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS (Charity Navigator score: 85.63, Goal: All are welcome here!)

- Cancer rate: 392.4 new incidents per 100,000 people (10.4% below U.S. average)

- Cancer rate by gender: 416.1 per 100k men; 379.2 per 100k women

- Deaths due to cancer: 137.2 per 100k (10.3% below U.S. average; #6 lowest among all states)

- Lung and bronchus cancer rate: 38.8 per 100k (29.5% below U.S. average; #3 lowest among all states)

- Breast cancer rate: 121.2 per 100k women (3.0% below U.S. average; #19 lowest among all states)

- Prostate cancer rate: 93.9 per 100k men (12.2% below U.S. average; #9 lowest among all states)

- Notable local charity: Cancer Support Community San Francisco Bay Area (Charity Navigator score: 97.53, Goal: Facing cancer together)

- Cancer rate: 394.3 new incidents per 100,000 people (10.0% below U.S. average)

- Cancer rate by gender: 405.5 per 100k men; 391.5 per 100k women

- Deaths due to cancer: 131.1 per 100k (14.3% below U.S. average; #3 lowest among all states)

- Lung and bronchus cancer rate: 39.8 per 100k (27.6% below U.S. average; #5 lowest among all states)

- Breast cancer rate: 132 per 100k women (5.6% above U.S. average; #17 highest among all states)

- Prostate cancer rate: 91.2 per 100k men (14.8% below U.S. average; #7 lowest among all states)

- Notable local charity: Family Resource Center Association (Charity Navigator score: 96.66, Goal: Providing a comprehensive approach to improving self-sufficiency for families and individuals)

- Cancer rate: 397.1 new incidents per 100,000 people (9.3% below U.S. average)

- Cancer rate by gender: 438.9 per 100k men; 365.4 per 100k women

- Deaths due to cancer: 121 per 100k (20.9% below U.S. average; #1 lowest among all states)

- Lung and bronchus cancer rate: 25.1 per 100k (54.4% below U.S. average; #1 lowest among all states)

- Breast cancer rate: 112.4 per 100k women (10.1% below U.S. average; #4 lowest among all states)

- Prostate cancer rate: 112.3 per 100k men (5.0% above U.S. average; #23 highest among all states)

- Notable local charity: Crossroads Urban Center (Charity Navigator score: 93.95, Goal: Fighting Poverty and Building Community)

- Cancer rate: 400 new incidents per 100,000 people (8.7% below U.S. average)

- Cancer rate by gender: 431.9 per 100k men; 379.3 per 100k women

- Deaths due to cancer: 152.5 per 100k (0.3% below U.S. average; #21 lowest among all states)

- Lung and bronchus cancer rate: 51.3 per 100k (6.7% below U.S. average; #15 lowest among all states)

- Breast cancer rate: 121.1 per 100k women (3.1% below U.S. average; #18 lowest among all states)

- Prostate cancer rate: 99.7 per 100k men (6.8% below U.S. average; #18 lowest among all states)

- Notable local charity: The Lamb Center (Charity Navigator score: 95.84, Goal: Serving the poor and homeless, transforming lives, and sharing God's love)

- Cancer rate: 400.1 new incidents per 100,000 people (8.7% below U.S. average)

- Cancer rate by gender: 443.6 per 100k men; 369.4 per 100k women

- Deaths due to cancer: 147.3 per 100k (3.7% below U.S. average; #15 lowest among all states)

- Lung and bronchus cancer rate: 47.8 per 100k (13.1% below U.S. average; #11 lowest among all states)

- Breast cancer rate: 112.6 per 100k women (9.9% below U.S. average; #5 lowest among all states)

- Prostate cancer rate: 98.7 per 100k men (7.8% below U.S. average; #15 lowest among all states)

- Notable local charity: The Children's Assessment Center Foundation (Charity Navigator score: 100, Goal: Providing a safehaven to sexually abused children and their families)

- Cancer rate: 404.5 new incidents per 100,000 people (7.6% below U.S. average)

- Cancer rate by gender: 427.3 per 100k men; 387.4 per 100k women

- Deaths due to cancer: 139.8 per 100k (8.6% below U.S. average; #9 lowest among all states)

- Lung and bronchus cancer rate: 52.9 per 100k (3.8% below U.S. average; #18 lowest among all states)

- Breast cancer rate: 111.2 per 100k women (11.0% below U.S. average; #3 lowest among all states)

- Prostate cancer rate: 89.5 per 100k men (16.4% below U.S. average; #4 lowest among all states)

- Notable local charity: Not applicable

- Cancer rate: 405.4 new incidents per 100,000 people (7.4% below U.S. average)

- Cancer rate by gender: 421.6 per 100k men; 394.8 per 100k women

- Deaths due to cancer: 156.3 per 100k (2.2% above U.S. average; #23 highest among all states)

- Lung and bronchus cancer rate: 48.5 per 100k (11.8% below U.S. average; #13 lowest among all states)

- Breast cancer rate: 118 per 100k women (5.6% below U.S. average; #11 lowest among all states)

- Prostate cancer rate: 95.5 per 100k men (10.7% below U.S. average; #12 lowest among all states)

- Notable local charity: Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation (Charity Navigator score: 91.4, Goal: Improving the quality of life for children and adults fighting a daily battle against disease)

- Cancer rate: 411.7 new incidents per 100,000 people (6.0% below U.S. average)

- Cancer rate by gender: 451.9 per 100k men; 377.3 per 100k women

- Deaths due to cancer: 136 per 100k (11.1% below U.S. average; #5 lowest among all states)

- Lung and bronchus cancer rate: 39.6 per 100k (28.0% below U.S. average; #4 lowest among all states)

- Breast cancer rate: 107.6 per 100k women (13.9% below U.S. average; #1 lowest among all states)

- Prostate cancer rate: 126.7 per 100k men (18.4% above U.S. average; #10 highest among all states)

- Notable local charity: Not applicable

- Cancer rate: 412.2 new incidents per 100,000 people (5.9% below U.S. average)

- Cancer rate by gender: 435.6 per 100k men; 397 per 100k women

- Deaths due to cancer: 154.1 per 100k (0.7% above U.S. average; #25 highest among all states)

- Lung and bronchus cancer rate: 48.4 per 100k (12.0% below U.S. average; #12 lowest among all states)

- Breast cancer rate: 119 per 100k women (4.8% below U.S. average; #15 lowest among all states)

- Prostate cancer rate: 91.2 per 100k men (14.8% below U.S. average; #7 lowest among all states)

- Notable local charity: Pearl Buck Center (Charity Navigator score: 97.17, Goal: Offering people with various abilities and their families quality choices and supports to achieve their goals)

- Cancer rate: 418.9 new incidents per 100,000 people (4.4% below U.S. average)

- Cancer rate by gender: 440.3 per 100k men; 408.9 per 100k women

- Deaths due to cancer: 128.5 per 100k (16.0% below U.S. average; #2 lowest among all states)

- Lung and bronchus cancer rate: 44.7 per 100k (18.7% below U.S. average; #8 lowest among all states)

- Breast cancer rate: 144.3 per 100k women (15.4% above U.S. average; #2 highest among all states)

- Prostate cancer rate: 98.9 per 100k men (7.6% below U.S. average; #16 lowest among all states)

- Notable local charity: Not applicable

- Cancer rate: 426.1 new incidents per 100,000 people (2.7% below U.S. average)

- Cancer rate by gender: 456 per 100k men; 405.2 per 100k women

- Deaths due to cancer: 145.3 per 100k (5.0% below U.S. average; #12 lowest among all states)

- Lung and bronchus cancer rate: 54.2 per 100k (1.5% below U.S. average; #20 lowest among all states)

- Breast cancer rate: 113.7 per 100k women (9.0% below U.S. average; #7 lowest among all states)

- Prostate cancer rate: 84.1 per 100k men (21.4% below U.S. average; #3 lowest among all states)

- Notable local charity: Florida Breast Cancer Foundation (Charity Navigator score: 100, Goal: To end the suffering caused by breast cancer)

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States with the highest cancer rates | Health and Fitness - Martinsville Bulletin