Cancer Rates in Black Individuals Decline but Still Outpace Other Racial, Ethnic Groups, Says American Cancer Society

The American Cancer Society (ACS) has released new data showing that while cancer mortality rates among Black people in the United States have declined significantly, they remain disproportionately high compared to other racial and ethnic groups.

According to the report, Cancer Statistics for African American and Black People, 2025, cancer mortality rates dropped by 49% in Black men and 33% in Black women from 1991 to 2022. Despite these declines, however, Black individuals continue to experience significantly higher cancer burdens, with mortality rates twice as high as those of White individuals for myeloma, prostate, endometrial, and stomach cancers, and 40%-50% higher for colorectal, breast, cervical, and liver cancers.¹

“Overall declines in cancer mortality rates in Black people largely reflect behavioral changes, such as historical declines in cigarette smoking among Black teens, as well as advances in treatment and earlier detection for some cancers,” Rebecca Siegel, MPH, senior scientific director, surveillance research at the ACS and senior author of the report, said in an ACS statement. “Yet, this population persistently experiences a much higher mortality burden than other racial and ethnic groups for many cancers. We must reverse course.”¹

Prostate Cancer in Black Men

Black men continue to bear a particularly heavy burden, with prostate cancer incidence rates 67% higher than those of White men and mortality rates more than twice as high. Among Black women, the breast cancer mortality rate is 38% higher than that of White women, despite a 5% lower incidence rate. The report also notes that uterine corpus cancer incidence in Black women continues to rise by 2% annually.²

Other key findings from the report include:

• Black men experienced the most significant relative decline in cancer mortality across nearly every age group, with a 65%-67% drop among those aged 40-59 years.
• The most commonly diagnosed cancers among Black individuals remain prostate (44% among males), breast (34% among females), lung (10%), and colorectal (8%), accounting for 58% of all new cancer cases in this population.

“This report highlights the disparities the Black community has faced for decades. While the decline in cancer mortality rates is encouraging, the stark inequities in incidence and survival for many cancers underscore the urgent need for targeted research and interventions,” Wayne A. I. Frederick, MD, MBA, interim chief executive officer of the ACS and the ACS Cancer Action Network, said. “This is a critical opportunity for the scientific, clinical, and policy-making community to come together to drive meaningful change. Together we must inform strategies to close these gaps, improve early detection, and ensure equitable access to life-saving treatments for the Black community.”¹

Future Incidence, Mortality

ACS researchers compiled the most recent data from the National Cancer Institute and the CDC on cancer incidence, mortality, survival, screening, and risk factor for Black individuals.² After White and Hispanic individuals, Black people are the third largest racial and ethnic group in the US, according to the ACS, and comprised 14% of the country’s population as of 2022. In 2025, an estimated 248,470 new cancer cases and 73,240 cancer deaths are expected among Black Americans. Cancer remains the second leading cause of death in this population, following heart disease.²

“Future research should not only explore the influence of systemic racism on health, but also develop mechanisms to implement change, including increasing diversity in clinical trials,” William Dahut, MD, chief scientific officer at the ACS. “Given this latest data, it’s also more important than ever to understand how to reduce your chance of getting cancer. This means taking preventative health measures, like understanding your risk profile, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and keeping up on cancer screenings to catch the disease as early as possible.”¹

In response to the persistent disparities, ACS launched the VOICES of Black Women study last year to investigate the drivers of cancer incidence, mortality, and resilience among Black women in the US. This initiative is the largest cohort study of cancer risk and outcomes among Black women in the country.¹

“While Black people have disproportionately high rates for many cancers, the disparity between Black and White women for endometrial cancer is especially concerning,” Anatu Saka, MPH, associate scientist in cancer surveillance research at the ACS and lead author of the study. “The causes behind these disparities are complex and not well understood. Initiatives like the VOICES study can help tackle this widening disparity.”¹

The full report is published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians and is available on cancer.org.

(Images courtesy of the American Cancer Society)

References
1. Saka AH, Giaquinto AN, McCullough LE, et al. Cancer statistics for African American and Black people, 2025. CA Cancer J Clin. Published online February 20. 2025. doi:10.3322/caac.21874
2. New ACS study shows cancer mortality rates among Black people declining but remain higher that other racial and ethnic groups. News release. American Cancer Society. February 20, 2025. Accessed February 21, 2025. https://pressroom.cancer.org/CancerStatisticsforAfricanAmericanandBlackPeople