Racial and ethnic groups are disproportionately affected by the increase in uterine cancer mortality in the United States, researchers explained in study findings published in JAMA Oncology, with Hispanic patients experiencing the highest burden.
In their large cohort study, the researchers used data from 208,587 patients with uterine cancer in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database, which represents approximately 26% of the U.S. population and includes deaths from 2000–2017. Overall, the researchers found that mortality rates increased by 1.8% for uterine cancer overall and 2.7% for nonendometrioid subtypes but remained stable for less aggressive endometrioid cancers—both of which are statistically significant. When the researchers looked at mortality rates for specific racial or ethnic groups, they found increases of 6.7% among Hispanics, 3.5% among Blacks, 3.4% among Asians, and 1.5% among Whites, regardless of histologic subtype or stage at diagnosis.
“The findings suggest a significant increase of nonendometrioid uterine carcinoma mortality rates, aligning with recent incidence trends,” researchers concluded. “The factors associated are not well understood and require more investigation of possible mechanisms. Despite stable incidence rates, endometrioid cancer mortality rates have not decreased over the past decade, suggesting limited progress in treatment. The substantial disparities cannot be fully explained by subtype distribution and stage at diagnosis."