Racial, ethnic and gender trends in lung cancer mortality rates in the United States-Mexico border and non-border areas

Judith A Gutierrez; Jacqueline M Hirth; Roger Zoorob; Robert S Levine

doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2023.107686

Racial, ethnic and gender trends in lung cancer mortality rates in the United States-Mexico border and non-border areas

Prev Med. 2023 Oct:175:107686. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2023.107686. Epub 2023 Aug 28.

Authors

Judith A Gutierrez¹, Jacqueline M Hirth², Roger Zoorob², Robert S Levine²

Affiliations

¹ Baylor College of Medicine, Family and Community Medicine Department, 3701 Kirby Drive, Suite 600, Houston, TX 77098, USA. Electronic address: judith.gutierrez@bcm.edu.
² Baylor College of Medicine, Family and Community Medicine Department, 3701 Kirby Drive, Suite 600, Houston, TX 77098, USA.

PMID: 37648086
DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2023.107686

Abstract

Background: Geographic patterns of lung cancer mortality rate differ in the region bordering Mexico in contrast to the US. This study compares lung cancer mortality between border and non-border counties by race/ethnicity and gender.

Methods: This study utilized population-level death certificate data from US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Public Internet Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research dataset between 1999 and 2020. Established algorithms were implemented to examine lung cancer deaths among US residents. We analyzed the age-adjusted data by year, race/ethnicity, gender, and geographic region. Joinpoint regression was used to determine mortality trends across time.

Results: Lung cancer mortality rates were lower in border counties compared to non-border counties across time (p < 0.05). Hispanic lung cancer mortality rates were not different in border counties compared to non-border counties during the same period (p > 0.05). Lung cancer mortality among non-Hispanic White living in border counties was lower than non-Hispanic White residing in non-border counties (p < 0.01), and non-Hispanic Black living in border counties had lower lung cancer mortality than non-Hispanic Black in non-border counties in all but three years (p < 0.05). Both female and male mortality rates were lower in border counties compared to non-border counties (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: Differences in lung cancer mortality between border counties and non-border counties reflect lower mortality in Hispanics overall and a decline for non-Hispanic White and non-Hispanic Black living in border counties experiencing lower lung cancer mortality rates than non-border counties. Further studies are needed to identify specific causes for lower mortality rates in border counties.

Keywords: Healthcare access; Lung cancer mortality; Racial/ethnic disparities; Time trends; US-Mexico border.