Sunday, June 13, 2021

Cancer Deaths in the Far West Region

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in America, accounting for more than 599,000 deaths in 2019, or 21% of all deaths in the U.S. that year.  With advances in medical know how, the cancer death rate has dropped modestly over the past twenty years, from 197.0 deaths per 100,000 population in 1999 to 182.7 deaths per 100,000 population in 2019.  The national trend in cancer deaths is also seen in the six-state Far West region of the country.  Already a region with a cancer death rate below the national average, the cancer death rate in the Far West declined from 165.0 deaths per 100,000 population in 1999 to 158.2 deaths per 100,000 population in 2019.  A deeper examination of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, reveals that the favorable trend in cancer deaths in the Far West region of the country has not been a universal experience, as both Alaska and Hawaii have seen their cancer death rates worsen over the past twenty years:

Cancer Deaths in the Far West Region
Cancer Deaths in the Far West Region

Area/Deaths 1999 2009 2019
AK 633 895 1,021
CA 53,067 55,991 59,512
HI 1,916 2,244 2,500
NV 3,556 4,461 5,434
OR 6,905 7,487 8,080
WA 10,653 11,922 12,960
Region 76,730 83,000 89,507
U.S. 549,838 567,628 599,601
Area/Death Rate* 1999 2009 2019
AK 101.3 128.1 139.6
CA 158.4 151.5 150.6
HI 158.3 166.6 176.6
NV 183.8 166.2 176.4
OR 203.5 196.6 191.6
WA 182.3 178.8 170.2
Region 165.0 159.1 158.2
U.S. 197.0 185.0 182.7

(*) number of cancer deaths per 100,000 population

Source: CDC Wonder. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying Cause of Death 1999-2019 on CDC WONDER Online Database, released in 2020. Data are from the Multiple Cause of Death Files, 1999-2019, as compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program. Accessed on June 12, 2021

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