Lung Cancer incidence trends in black and white young adults by gender (United States)

Objective: This study analyzed temporal trends in lung cancer incidence rates for young adults, as an indicator of the recent and potential future impact of risk factor trends, by gender for blacks (African Americans) and whites in US geographic areas with high-quality cancer registries. The areas also varied in a tobacco control index (TCI) for 1992-1993. Methods: Age-standardized incidence rates (ASIRs) were analyzed for lung cancer diagnosed at age 20-44 years from 1973-1976 to 1997-2000 for blacks and whites by gender, using data from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program. Recent trends (1989-1992 to 1997-2000) also were analyzed for each SEER area, which differed in the TCI. Results: ASIRs declined for black and white men from 1973-1976 to 1997-2000, but not for black or white women after 1985-1988; the gender ratio (men/women) declined to reach 1.0 in whites and 1.4 in blacks. ASIRs decline from 1989-1992 to 1997-2000 for men in all but one of the SEER areas examined, but declines for women were largely limited to SEER areas in California, a state with a high (but not the highest) TCI. Black-white disparities in ASIRs persisted for all SEER areas combined and in each of the areas examined, and increased for women in the Detroit area. Conclusions: Continued surveillance of ASIRs in young adults is needed, but these data emphasize the need for tobacco control programs to include targeting women and blacks.