Racial/ethnic disparities in neoplasm mortality and the role of healthcare access in the United States: Insights from the Global Burden of Disease study study 2000–2019.

Abstract

e13738 Background: Persistent racial/ethnic and regional disparities in neoplasm mortality remain significant public health challenges. This study evaluates long-term trends in neoplasm mortality by race/ethnicity at the county level in the United States and examines the relationship between hospital density and mortality. Methods: Using data from the Global Burden of Disease Study (2000-2019), we analyzed age-standardized mortality rates (ASR) for neoplasms by ethnicity/raceHispanic (all races) and non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native (AIAN), Asian or Pacific Islander (API), Black, and White. A joinpoint regression analysis was used to identify significant changes in the mortality trends, summarized as average annual percent change (AAPC). Correlation analysis evaluated the relationship between county-level hospital density and neoplasm mortality. Results: Neoplasm mortality rates declined across all racial/ethnic groups from 2000 to 2019, but disparities persisted. ASR per 100,000 population decreased from 240.5 (95% UI: 214.3–269.9) to 203.0 (180.8–228.3) for AIAN, 149.5 (144.9–153.9) to 115.3 (111.7–118.7) for API, 314.5 (312.1–317.0) to 218.7 (217.1–220.3) for Black, 168.4 (164.6–172.0) to 133.8 (131.0–136.4) for Latino, and 241.2 (240.5–242.0) to 187.5 (186.9–188.2) for White. AAPC from 2000 to 2019 ranged from -0.94% (AIAN) to -1.90% (Black). Gender-specific analyses revealed similar trends, with males showing slightly greater declines. Southeast states experienced slower declines compared to the Northeast. Some counties exhibited worsening mortality trends, particularly for AIAN, API, and Latino. The county-level hospital density (table) showed weak but statistically significant correlations in 2019 for AIAN (r = -0.35; p < 0.0001), White (r = -0.15; p < 0.0001), and Black (r = -0.18; p < 0.0001). No inverse correlation was observed for API (r = 0.07; p = 0.071) and Latino (r = 0.06; p = 0.012). Conclusions: While significant progress has been made in reducing neoplasm mortality, racial/ethnic and regional disparities persist, and health care access appears to contribute to this at least in part. Future analyses should evaluate mortality by cancer site and also account for broader clinical and public health infrastructure, as well as social determinants of health to better understand and address underlying disparities. The correlation between hospital density and age-standardized mortality rate from neoplasms by race/ethnicity in 2019. Correlation coefficient with mortality and hospital density AIAN API Black Latino White 2019 -0.35(-0.43 – -0.27) 0.069(-0.0058–0.14) -0.18(-0.23 –-0.13) 0.064(0.014–0.11) -0.15(-0.19 – -0.12)