A recent report by the South Carolina Cancer Alliance (SCCA) and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SC DHEC) announced that cancer mortality rates in South Carolina have declined by 17.6% in the past 20 years. According to the report, the most prevalent cancers in our state are: lung cancer, melanoma (skin cancer), breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and prostate cancer.
Cancer specialists contribute the decline in cancer mortality rates to primary prevention strategies such as decreasing the prevalence of smoking, early detection and improved cancer treatments.
Although specific risk factors are relative to specific types of cancers, general risk factors include:
- tobacco usage,
- being overweight, and
- an unbalanced diet.
It is important to understand that although cancer mortality rates have declined, health disparities still exist among minority populations and in rural communities. More than 26,000 people are diagnosed with an invasive cancer and nearly 10,000 people die from cancer each year.
“We are moving in the right direction for a state our size, but we are still behind the rest of the country,” said Dr. Gerald Wilson, chair of the South Carolina Cancer Alliance. “The best course of action people can take is to speak with their doctors about cancer screenings and lifestyle changes.”
Key findings from the report include:
- Lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in South Carolina and ranks 1st for cancer deaths.
- The rate of all cancers in women increased by 5.5%.
- The death rate for black women with breast cancer is 43.5% higher than for white women.
- Skin cancer increases of 21.2% among white men and 24.6% among white women mirror national trends.
- The death rate for black men with prostate cancer is three times higher than white men.
For more information or to view the full report, visit: https://www.sccancer.org/media/1348/20-year-cancer-report_spread-w-bleed.pdf.
Live Healthy S.C. 