(Press-News.org) The American Cancer Society (ACS) today released Cancer Statistics for African American and Black People, 2025. According to the report, the cancer mortality rate declined from 1991 to 2022 by 49% and 33% in Black men and women, respectively, in the United States. However, African American and Black people continue to have a disproportionately elevated cancer burden compared to other population groups. According to the study, the risk of cancer death for Black individuals is two-fold that of White individuals for myeloma, prostate, uterine corpus (endometrial), and stomach cancers, and 40%-50% higher for colorectal, breast, cervical, and liver cancers. Similarly, survival is lower in Black people than in White people for almost every type and stage of cancer, with the largest gaps for melanoma, uterine corpus, and cervical cancers. These important findings are published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians and available on cancer.org.
“Overall declines in cancer mortality rates in Black people largely reflect behavioral changes, such as historical declines in cigarette smoking among Black teens, as well as advances in treatment and earlier detection for some cancers,” said Rebecca Siegel, senior scientific director, surveillance research at the American Cancer Society, and senior author of the report. “Yet, this population persistently experiences a much higher mortality burden than other racial and ethnic groups for many cancers. We must reverse course.”
For the study, ACS investigators compiled the most recent data on cancer incidence, mortality, survival, screening, and risk factors for Black people using population-based science from the National Cancer Institute and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Black people represent the third largest racial and ethnic group in the country after White and Hispanic people, accounting for approximately 14% of the total population in 2022. This year, there will be an estimated 248,470 new cancer diagnoses and 73,240 cancer deaths among this population. Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in Black men and women after heart disease.
"This report highlights the disparities the Black community has faced for decades. While the decline in cancer mortality rates is encouraging, the stark inequities in incidence and survival for many cancers underscore the urgent need for targeted research and interventions,” said Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick, interim chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). “This is a critical opportunity for the scientific, clinical, and policy-making community to come together to drive meaningful change. Together we must inform strategies to close these gaps, improve early detection, and ensure equitable access to life-saving treatments for the Black community.”
Other highlights in the report include:
Black men experienced the most significant relative decline in cancer mortality from 1991 to 2022 (compared to Black women and White men and women) at nearly every age, including a 65%-67% drop among those 40-59 years of age.
The most commonly diagnosed cancers continue to be prostate (44% among males), breast (34% among females), lung (10%), and colorectal (8%), which will account for 58% of all new cancers diagnosed among Black people.
Black men have a 67% higher prostate cancer incidence rate compared to White men and are more than twice as likely to die from the disease.
Black women have a 38% higher likelihood of dying from breast cancer compared to White women despite a 5% lower likelihood of being diagnosed with the disease.
Uterine corpus (endometrial) cancer incidence continues to increase in Black women by 2% per year.
“Future research should not only explore the influence of systemic racism on health, but also develop mechanisms to implement change, including increasing diversity in clinical trials,” added Dr. William Dahut, chief scientific officer at the American Cancer Society. “Given this latest data, it’s also more important than ever to understand how to reduce your chance of getting cancer. This means taking preventative health measures, like understanding your risk profile, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and keeping up on cancer screenings to catch the disease as early as possible.”
To address ongoing cancer disparities in Black women, last year ACS launched the VOICES of Black Women study. The study is designed to help better understand the multi-level drivers of incidence, mortality, and resilience of cancer and other health conditions among Black women in the U.S., so we can collectively address them. It will be the largest cohort study of cancer risk and outcomes among Black women in the U.S. For more information and to participate, visit voices.cancer.org.
Other ACS researchers participating in the study include lead author Anatu Saka, Angela Giaquinto, Dr. Lauren McCullough, and Dr. Ahmedin Jemal.
Additional ACS Resources:
Media Briefing for African American & Black People Cancer Statistics 2025
Cancer Statistics Report 2025
Breast Cancer Statistics Report 2024
To Drive a Deeper Understanding of Cancer Disparities, American Cancer Society Launches Largest U.S. Population Study of Black Women
# # #
About the American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society is a leading cancer-fighting organization with a vision to end cancer as we know it, for everyone. For more than 110 years, we have been improving the lives of people with cancer and their families as the only organization combating cancer through advocacy, research, and patient support. We are committed to ensuring everyone has an opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer. To learn more, visit cancer.org or call our 24/7 helpline at 1-800-227-2345. Connect with us on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
END
Statement Highlights:
Although people with cardiovascular abnormalities have previously been considered ineligible for competitive sports participation, new evidence indicates that athletes of all ages who have certain heart abnormalities or diseases may often safely participate in competitive sports.
A new joint scientific statement from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology emphasizes the need for shared decision-making between athletes and their clinicians, and provides guidance for health care professionals about how to assess risk when considering competitive sports participation for people with various cardiovascular conditions.
More ...
CAMBRIDGE, MA -- RNA splicing is a cellular process that is critical for gene expression. After genes are copied from DNA into messenger RNA, portions of the RNA that don’t code for proteins, called introns, are cut out and the coding portions are spliced back together.
This process is controlled by a large protein-RNA complex called the spliceosome. MIT biologists have now discovered a new layer of regulation that helps to determine which sites on the messenger RNA molecule the spliceosome will target.
The research team discovered ...
Acid reducing medicines from the group of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are best-selling drugs that prevent and alleviate stomach problems. PPIs are activated in the acid-producing cells of the stomach, where they block acid production. Researchers at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) made the surprising discovery that zinc-carrying proteins, which are found in all cells, can also activate PPIs – without the presence of gastric acid. The result could be a key to understanding the side effects of PPIs.
Excessive gastric acid can cause not only heartburn, but also chronic complaints such as gastritis or even a stomach ...
A new paper updates an EMBL technology advance even further. More details about the original technology can be found in our initial reporting here.
EMBL tech developers have made an important leap forward with a novel methodology that adds an important microscopy capability to life scientists’ toolbox. The advance represents a 1,000-fold improvement in speed and throughput in Brillouin microscopy and provides a way to view light-sensitive organisms more efficiently.
“We were on a quest to speed up image acquisition,” said Carlo Bevilacqua, lead author on ...
Researchers including those from the University of Tokyo developed Deep Nanometry, an analytical technique combining advanced optical equipment with a noise removal algorithm based on unsupervised deep learning. Deep Nanometry can analyze nanoparticles in medical samples at high speed, making it possible to accurately detect even trace amounts of rare particles. This has proven its potential for detecting extracellular vesicles indicating early signs of colon cancer, and it is hoped that it can be applied to other medical and industrial fields.
Did you know your ...
Toronto, ON - Preteens who spend more time on screens are more likely to develop manic symptoms years two-years later, according to a new study published in Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology.
The findings reveal that 10- to 11-year-olds who engage heavily with social media, video games, texting, and videos show a greater risk of symptoms such as inflated self-esteem, decreased need for sleep, distractibility, rapid speech, racing thoughts, and impulsivity — behaviors characteristic of manic episodes, a key feature of bipolar-spectrum disorders.
“Adolescence is a particularly ...
Fukuoka, Japan—How are stars born, and has it always been this way?
Stars form in regions of space known as stellar nurseries, where high concentrations of gas and dust coalesce to form a baby star. Also called molecular clouds, these regions of space can be massive, spanning hundreds of light-years and forming thousands of stars. And while we know much about the life cycle of a star thanks to advances in technology and observational tools, precise details remain obscure. For example, did stars form this way in the early universe?
Publishing in The Astrophysical Journal, researchers from Kyushu University, in collaboration with Osaka Metropolitan ...
Blood pressure drug could be a safer alternative for treating ADHD symptoms, finds study
Repurposing amlodipine, a commonly used blood pressure medicine, could help manage attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, according to an international study involving the University of Surrey.
In a study published in Neuropsychopharmacology, researchers tested five potential drugs in rats bred to exhibit ADHD-like symptoms. Among them, only amlodipine, a common blood pressure medication, significantly reduced hyperactivity.
To ...
WASHINGTON (Feb. 20, 2025)--A new study analyzes the disease burden and the risk factors for severity among people who suffer from a condition called cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. Researchers at the George Washington University say the condition occurs in people who are long-term regular consumers of cannabis and causes nausea, uncontrollable vomiting and excruciating pain in a cyclical pattern that often leads to repeated trips to the hospital.
“This is one of the first large studies to examine the burden of disease associated with this cannabis-linked syndrome,” says Andrew Meltzer, professor of emergency medicine ...
Cardiac arrhythmias affect millions across the world and are responsible for a fifth of all deaths in the Netherlands. Currently there are multiple treatment options, ranging from life-long medication to invasive surgical procedures. Research from Amsterdam UMC and Johns Hopkins University, published today in the European Heart Journal, sets another important step in the hunt for a one-off gene therapy that could improve heart function and protect against arrhythmias.
"Arrhythmias often occur due to slowing of conduction of the electrical impulse through the heart. Rapid impulse conduction is needed for ...
