Examining Racial Disparities in Cancer Incidence and Mortality Across South Carolina Regions

Purpose: To provide updated cancer mortality-to-incidence ratio (MIR) data across South Carolina (SC). Methods: State and national incidence and mortality data were collected from the South Carolina Central Cancer Registry (SCCCR) and the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results Program (SEER). MIRs (mortality rate/incidence rate) were calculated for all cancer sites, cervical, colon, female breast, lung and bronchus, oral cancers, and prostate cancers from the years 2016-2021, excluding 2020. Results: Major racial disparities in MIR were found in SC, with the largest discrepancies seen in cervical, colon, and prostate cancers. Of note, each SC region had white cervical cancer MIRs lower than the SEER average, yet black women in the Pee Dee region saw a 99.8% increase. Conclusions: These results highlight the poor cancer outcomes and disparities in SC. This research allows public health interventions to be targeted to the regions of our state which need them most.