Since the 1990s, Delaware has gone from being second highest in cancer-related deaths to the 14th highest. And the most significant improvement can be seen in the state’s African American population, which declined 28 percent over a 10-year period, according to the latest report from the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services.
The rate of cancer mortality among African Americans in Delaware is now lower than the national rate. The declines can be seen in the four most common types of cancer: breast, colorectal, lung and prostate. The greatest decline was 47.7 percent for colorectal cancer. This reflects efforts made by the Division of Public Health and the Delaware Cancer Consortium to make cancer screening more accessible, especially for minorities.
Dr. Karyl Rattay, head the Division of Public Health, says there’s still room for improvement in areas, such as lung cancer, where Delaware ranks 12th in the country for incidence and mortality.
“We still have a lot of progress to make around tobacco usage in Delaware," said Dr. Rattay. "We still have a lot of Delawareans who are smoking or using tobacco in other forms and that concerns us greatly.”
Over a quarter of smoking Delawareans are in their late twenties and early thirties, which is the highest rate among all age groups.
Additionally, Rattay acknowledged that Delaware still remains number two in cancer incidence in the country and emphasized a need to face issues that are strongly linked with cancer.
“We have very high obesity rates in Delaware. Until we tackle these tobacco and obesity issues, it will be very difficult to drive down cancer incidences," said Dr. Rattay.
Delaware’s obesity rates are currently rising and research shows that an exceedingly high body mass index is linked to an increased risk of cancer.
