American Indian/Alaska Native men and women have some lower cancer rates than the non-Hispanic white population. However, disparities still exist in certain types of cancer.
- From 2014-2018, American Indian/Alaska Native men were almost twice as likely to have liver & IBD* cancer as compared to non-Hispanic white men.
- American Indian/Alaska Native men are 30 percent more likely to have stomach cancer than non-Hispanic white men and are over twice as likely to die from the same disease.
- American Indian/Alaska Native women are 2.3 times more likely to have, and 2.2 times as likely to die from, liver & IBD cancer, as compared to non-Hispanic white women.
- American Indian/Alaska Native women are 20 percent more likely to have kidney/renal pelvis cancer than non-Hispanic white women.
Diagnosis
| Age-adjusted percentages of cancer among adults aged 18 and over, 2019 | |||
| Cancer | American Indian/Alaska Native | Non-Hispanic White | American Indian/Alaska Native/Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| All Sites | 15.6 | 12.4 | 1.3 |
| Breast (women) | 1.8 | 2.0 | 0.9 |
| Cervical (women) | -- | 1.4 | -- |
| Prostate (men) | -- | 2.8 | -- |
Source: NCHS 2021. National Health Interview Survey. Interactive Summary Health Statistics for Adults – 2019. [Accessed 7/22/2021]
https://wwwn.cdc.gov/NHISDataQueryTool/SHS_adult/index.html
Top Cancer Sites for American Indian/Alaska Natives (2014-2018)
| Cancer Incidence Rates per 100,000 – Men | |||
| Cancer | American Indian/Alaska Native Men | Non-Hispanic White Men | American Indian/Alaska Native/Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| All Sites | 326.7 | 520.4 | 0.7 |
| Colon & Rectum | 39.6 | 42.2 | 0.9 |
| Esophagus | 6.4 | 8.5 | 0.8 |
| Kidney | 24.2 | 24.2 | 1.0 |
| Liver & IBD | 21.7 | 11.3 | 1.9 |
| Lung | 40.9 | 60.7 | 0.7 |
| Oral Cavity & Pharynx | 12.2 | 20.2 | 0.6 |
| Pancreas | 13.4 | 16.3 | 0.8 |
| Prostate | 53.1 | 118.9 | 0.4 |
| Stomach | 10.1 | 7.7 | 1.3 |
*IBD = Intrahepatic Bile Duct
Source: NCI 2021. Seer Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2018. Table 1.24 and SEER*Explorer [ Accessed 7/22/2021].
https://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2018/, https://seer.cancer.gov/explorer/
Top Cancer Sites for American Indian/Alaska Natives (2014-2018)
| Cancer Incidence Rates per 100,000 – Women | |||
| Cancer | American Indian/Alaska Native Women | Non-Hispanic White Women | American Indian/Alaska Native/Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| All Sites | 311.1 | 460.2 | 0.7 |
| Breast | 81.7 | 137.9 | 0.6 |
| Cervical | 7.6 | 6.7 | 1.1 |
| Colon & Rectum | 37.5 | 32.7 | 1.1 |
| Kidney | 14.0 | 11.7 | 1.2 |
| Liver & IBD | 8.6 | 4.0 | 2.2 |
| Lung | 35.5 | 53.9 | 0.7 |
| Pancreas | 8.2 | 11.9 | 0.8 |
| Stomach | 5.8 | 3.8 | 1.5 |
| Uterus | 20.0 | 28.7 | 0.7 |
Source: NCI 2021. Seer Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2018. Table 1.25 and SEER*Explorer [ Accessed 7/22/2021].
https://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2018/, https://seer.cancer.gov/explorer/
5 Year Survival Rate
Not available at this time.
Death Rate
| Cancer Death Rates per 100,000 – Men (2014-2018) | |||
| Cancer | American Indian/Alaska Native Men | Non-Hispanic White Men | American Indian/Alaska Native/Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| All Sites | 169.3 | 190.2 | 0.9 |
| Colon & Rectum | 18.5 | 16.1 | 1.1 |
| Kidney | 8.3 | 5.5 | 1.5 |
| Liver & IBD | 14.8 | 8.4 | 1.8 |
| Lung | 38.4 | 49.4 | 0.8 |
| Prostate | 18.5 | 17.9 | 1.0 |
| Stomach | 6.3 | 3.1 | 2.0 |
Source: NCI 2021. Seer Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2018. Table 1.20
https://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2018/sections.html
| Cancer Death Rates per 100,000 – Women (2014-2018) | |||
| Cancer | American Indian/Alaska Native Women | Non-Hispanic White Women | American Indian/Alaska Native/Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| All Sites | 120.1 | 137.8 | 0.9 |
| Breast | 14.8 | 20.1 | 0.7 |
| Cervical | 2.4 | 2.0 | 1.2 |
| Colon & Rectum | 12.4 | 11.5 | 1.1 |
| Kidney | 3.2 | 2.3 | 1.4 |
| Liver & IBD | 7.0 | 3.6 | 1.9 |
| Lung | 27.4 | 35.6 | 0.8 |
| Stomach | 3.5 | 1.6 | 2.0 |
| Uterus | 3.5 | 4.5 | 0.8 |
Source: NCI 2021. Seer Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2018. Table 1.20
https://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2018/sections.html
Screening
Breast Cancer
| Percentage of women age 40 and over who had a mammogram within the past 2 years, 2018 (crude) | ||
| American Indian/Alaska Native Women | Non-Hispanic White Women | American Indian/Alaska Native / Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 65.3 | 68.0 | 1.0 |
Source: CDC 2021. Health United States, 2019. Table 33.
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus19-508.pdf [PDF 3.02MB]
Cervical Cancer
| Percentage of women age 18 and over who had a Pap smear within the past 3 years, 2018 (crude) | ||
| American Indian/Alaska Native Women | Non-Hispanic White Women | American Indian/Alaska Native / Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 58.6 | 63.7 | 0.9 |
Source: CDC 2021. Health United States, 2019. Table 34.
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus19-508.pdf [PDF 3.02MB]
Colon Cancer
| Adults aged 50-75 who had any colorectal test or procedure, 2018 | ||
| American Indian/Alaska Native | Non-Hispanic White Women | American Indian/Alaska Native / Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 46.1 | 64.0 | 0.7 |
Source: CDC 2021. Health United States, 2019. Table 35.
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus19-508.pdf [PDF 3.02MB]
Last Edited: 08/26/2021