Abstract 6220: Disparities in cancer incidence among African American and non-Hispanic white participants in the Agricultural Health Study and North Carolina residents

Abstract Disparities in cancer incidence between African American (AA) and non-Hispanic white (NHW) populations in the U.S. are well documented. However, no studies have examined cancer incidence disparities in farming populations. Given unique occupational hazards (e.g., pesticides, zoonotic diseases, diesel exhaust), we hypothesized that racial disparities in cancer incidence may be more pronounced among AA farmers than in the general population. We investigated cancer incidence among North Carolina (NC) participants in Agricultural Health Study (AHS), a prospective cohort of pesticide applicators and their spouses enrolled between 1993-1997. This investigation included 28, 579 participants (1, 511 AA, 27, 068 NHW), identifying 6, 511 cancer cases (432 AA, 6, 079 NHW) through 2021. We calculated standardized incidence ratios (SIRs), standardized incidence rate estimates (SREs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for overall and site-specific cancers in the AHS relative to the general population in NC.Overall, the SIR was higher for AA in the AHS (SIR = 1.19, CI 1.08 - 1.31) than for AA in NC (SIR = 1.05, CI 1.04 - 1.05), with notably high SIRs for certain sites like prostate cancer, multiple myeloma, and colorectal cancer (Table 1). For prostate cancer and multiple myeloma, we observed the lowest incidence among NHW in the general population and the highest in AA in the AHS cohort. Our findings of greater disparities in cancer incidence among AA in the AHS compared with AA in the general population may be related to differences in certain agricultural exposures or economic and social barriers faced by AA farmers; we plan to further investigate these factors in future efforts. These findings and ongoing efforts are needed to help promote the health and well-being of AA farmers. Citation Format: Somayina C. Ezennia, Christine G. Parks, Laura E. Beane Freeman, Anne Taylor, Gabriella Andreotti, Stella Koutros, Dale P. Sanders, Jonathan N. Hofmann. Disparities in cancer incidence among African American and non-Hispanic white participants in the Agricultural Health Study and North Carolina residents [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2025; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2025 Apr 25-30; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2025;85(8_Suppl_1):Abstract nr 6220.