Cancer Race/Ethnicity Statistics

The NCI has recognized the need to better define the cancer burden in racial/ethnic minorities and medically underserved populations and supports research, applications and surveillance on the full diversity of the United States population. Since its inception in 1973, the cancer registry system of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program has included large segments of diverse populations. Subsequent expansions increased the proportions of Hispanics, urban African Americans and Asian and Pacific Islanders in Southern California and the Greater Bay Area, rural African Americans in Georgia, northwestern populations in Seattle, Arizona Indians, and Alaska Natives residing in Alaska. An expansion in 2001 of four areas increased coverage of key populations, such as rural low-income whites, more geographically diverse American Indians, rural African-Americans and other Hispanic groups. The most recent expansion, in 2018, brings SEER coverage to 34.6% of the U.S. population, which includes 31.9 percent of Whites, 30.0 percent of African Americans, 44.0 percent of Hispanics, 49.3 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives, 57.5 percent of Asians, and 68.5 percent of Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders.

The SEER Program collects and publishes cancer incidence and survival data in order to assemble and report estimates of cancer incidence, survival, mortality, other measures of the cancer burden, and patterns of care in the U.S. Statistics from the SEER Program routinely include information specific to racial/ethnic populations as well as other populations defined by age, sex, and geography.

Reports

Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer provides trends in cancer incidence and death rates in the United States for all races/ethnicities combined and among 5 major racial/ethnic groups (white, black, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaska Natives, and Hispanic).

Cancer Stat Facts are a collection of statistical summaries for a number of common cancer types. They were developed to provide a quick overview of frequently-requested cancer statistics.

Interactive Tools for Accessing Precalculated Cancer Statistics by Race/Ethnicity

SEER*Explorer is an interactive website that provides easy access to a wide range of SEER cancer statistics. It provides detailed statistics for a cancer site by sex, race, calendar year, age, and for a selected number of cancer sites, by stage and histology.

National Childhood Cancer Registry Explorer provides incidence and survival statistics for cancers in children and adolescent and young adults ages 0-39, using data from the National Childhood Cancer Registry (NCCR).

Cancer Query Systems are Web-based data retrieval tools that allow you to select statistics by defining various parameters, including race. Incidence, mortality, survival and stage, prevalence, and lifetime risk databases are available.

State Cancer Profiles is a comprehensive system enabling the investigation of cancer trends at the national, state, and county level.

Last Updated: 15 Apr, 2022