NEWS: Oklahomans are more likely to die of cancer than most Americans

Oklahomans are more likely to die of cancer than most Americans

Oklahomans aren’t much more likely to get cancer than other Americans, but when they do, it is more likely to kill them.

The American Cancer Society projected about 19,000 people in Oklahoma will be diagnosed with cancer this year, and more than 8,000 will die.

Nationwide, it predicted about 1.7 million cancer diagnoses and 610,000 deaths. Both the state and national numbers are slight increases over the 2017 projections, reflecting population growth and aging.

Prostate, breast, lung and colorectal cancers are predicted to remain the most common types diagnosed, and lung cancer likely will continue to cause the most deaths. While some states have made progress in reducing racial disparities, black and American Indian cancer patients still are at a higher risk of dying than white patients with the same type of cancer, most likely due to problems accessing health care.

VIA citizentribune