Report: Smoking behind higher upstate cancer rates

The state branch of the American Cancer Society says cancer rates are ?generally higher? upstate versus downstate, according to a report that combines data from the state Department of Health?s Cancer Registry for 2004-2008 and 2011 estimates.

?The Cancer Burden in New York State? was introduced at a press conference featuring the Society?s Russ Sciandra and Blair Horner, who said the data shows the need for the state to do more to reduce smoking rates upstate as New York City leaders have done in the five boroughs.

?Tobacco basically just swamps everything else,? Sciandra said.

Four cancers accounted for more than half the total number of cancer diagnoses in almost every county: prostate, breast, lung and colorectal. Prostate cancer is the most common; lung cancer is the deadliest.

What was referred to as a ? tale of two states? could be seen in a chart that showed the cancer incidence and mortality rates: Per 100,000 men, the annual rate is 541 in the U.S., 569.3 in New York as a whole, 521.8 in New York City, and 598 outside of the city.

For women, the trend is the same: 411.6 in the U.S., 431 in New York overall, 388.8 in NYC and 460.3 outside of the city.

The upstate-downstate divide is borne out, with few exceptions, in both incidence and mortality for the top four forms of cancer ? with upstate experiencing higher rates than in the city, though the split varies from slight to marked.

While the study includes county-by-county data, the presenters emphasized that the margin of error drops appreciably when a more regional wide-angle view is used.

The Cancer Society?s recommendations to close the gap and reduce cancer in all regions ? and across the nation, for that matter ? include:

• Create policies and laws that prevent cancer, such as reversing the decline in funding for the NYS Tobacco Control Program.
• Enhance early detection of cancer by adequately funding the NYS Cancer Services Program that provides free breast, cervical and colon cancer screening to the uninsured.
• Ease the economic toll of cancer by ensuring that all New Yorkers have access to quality, affordable health insurance coverage.
• Improve patients? quality of life through better palliative care and pain management, and enhanced health care provider education.

To the first point, Sciandra emphasized the need for New York to collect all cigarette taxes.

Update: Here?s video from the news conference, courtesy Kyle Hughes of NYSNYS:

Source: http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/141505/report-smoking-behind-higher-upstate-cancer-rates/

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