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. 2022 Aug 19;12(1):14143.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-18374-7.

Understanding geographic and racial/ethnic disparities in mortality from four major cancers in the state of Georgia: a spatial epidemiologic analysis, 1999-2019

Justin Xavier Moore  1   2 , Martha S Tingen  3 , Steven S Coughlin  2   4 , Christine O'Meara  1 , Lorriane Odhiambo  2 , Marlo Vernon  1   2 , Samantha Jones  1   2 , Robert Petcu  1 , Ryan Johnson  1 , K M Islam  2   4 , Darryl Nettles  1 , Ghadeer Albashir  1 , Jorge Cortes  5
Affiliations

Understanding geographic and racial/ethnic disparities in mortality from four major cancers in the state of Georgia: a spatial epidemiologic analysis, 1999-2019

Justin Xavier Moore et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

We examined geographic and racial variation in cancer mortality within the state of Georgia, and investigated the correlation between the observed spatial differences and county-level characteristics. We analyzed county-level cancer mortality data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on breast, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancer mortality among adults (aged ≥ 18 years) in 159 Georgia counties from years 1999 through 2019. Geospatial methods were applied, and we identified hot spot counties based on cancer mortality rates overall and stratified by non-Hispanic white (NH-white) and NH-black race/ethnicity. Among all adults, 5.0% (8 of 159), 8.2% (13 of 159), 5.0% (8 of 159), and 6.9% (11 of 159) of Georgia counties were estimated hot spots for breast cancer, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancer mortality, respectively. Cancer mortality hot spots were heavily concentrated in three major areas: (1) eastern Piedmont to Coastal Plain regions, (2) southwestern rural Georgia area, or (3) northern-most rural Georgia. Overall, hot spot counties generally had higher proportion of NH-black adults, older adult population, greater poverty, and more rurality. In Georgia, targeted cancer prevention strategies and allocation of health resources are needed in counties with elevated cancer mortality rates, focusing on interventions suitable for NH-black race/ethnicity, low-income, and rural residents.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Hot spots of cancer mortality stratified by major cancer types: breast, colorectal, lung, and prostate among all adults in Georgia counties from years 1999 through 2019.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Hot spots of cancer mortality stratified by major cancer types: breast, colorectal, lung, and prostate among non-Hispanic white adults in Georgia counties from years 1999 through 2019.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Hot spots of cancer mortality stratified by major cancer types: breast, colorectal, lung, and prostate among NH-black adults in Georgia counties from years 1999 through 2019.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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