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Nationally,
colorectal cancer incidence rates — the number of newly diagnosed
cases among both genders and all ethnic groups per 100,000 persons
(age-adjusted to the 1970 standard) — have declined in the last
15 years, but trends vary significantly within the various demographic
groups. The incidence of colorectal cancer remains among the highest
of all cancer incidences. Blacks have higher incidencerates and higher
overall death rates than do the other racial/ethnic groups. For all
races combined, the colorectal cancer incidence rate is over 40% higher
in men than in women, and increases steadily as individuals age. [ 11 ]
Colorectal cancer incidence data for Texas are only available for 1992, 1995 and 1996. While not sufficient to allow reliable trend analysis, these data show that from 1992 to 1996 the number of new cases diagnosed in one year increased by over 10%. All ethnic groups showed increases in incidence, with new cases among Hispanics up by more than 41% in a period when that population group increased by 16.4% in Texas (Table 1).
Mortality from colorectal cancer in Texas is documented each year and, as shown in Table 2, steadily increased through 1998, the most recent year for which data are available. The number of deaths due to colon and rectal cancers increased by over 20% in the ten years from 1989 through 1998. Both male and female African Americans had significantly higher mortality compared with Caucasians or Hispanics (Table 3).
By and large, Texas counties with the highest mortality rates for colorectal cancers for all ethnic groups contain, or are adjacent to, major metropolitan areas (Appendix A). Data reviewed were aggregated for 1990 through 1997. This “urban effect” has also been previously documented. [ 12 ] |
