STUDY: CDC Report Shows South Dakota with 10th Lowest Cancer Rate

The CDC study released in late October put South Dakota 10th lowest in the nation, with a cancer incidence rate for men and women of 421.4 per 100,000 people. Wyoming was also in the lowest quartile with a 427.8 rate, placing it 13th.

Other regional states and their overall cancer incidence rates for men and women: Nebraska, 443.1, 19th, second lowest quartile; North Dakota, 446.6, 22nd, second lowest quartile; Montana, 460.9, 33rd, second highest quartile; and Iowa, 480.0, 40th, highest quartile.

The latest numbers are for 2010. There was no data available for Minnesota or Arizona. The national cancer incidence rate, according to the CDC, is 445.5 per 100,000 people.

While the low incidence rate is generally good news for South Dakotans, the CDC did identify some specific cancers where South Dakota had higher rates compared to national averages.

Colorectal Cancer: South Dakota had the fourth highest rate of colorectal cancer for men and women, with a 48.6 rate per 100,000 people. The national rate is 40.4.

Corpus (endometrial) and Uterine Cancer: South Dakota women have the seventh highest corpus and uterine cancer rate at 30.7 per 100,000 people, compared to the national rate of 24.8.

Breast Cancer, in situ: South Dakota women have the 15th highest breast cancer, in situ rate at 32.8 per 100,000, compared to the national rate of 29.8.

According to the American Cancer Society, in situ means that the cancer cells remain confined to ducts and he cells have not grown into deeper tissues in the breast or spread to other organs in the body. It is sometimes called non-invasive or pre-invasive breast cancer, according to the ACS, because it might develop into an invasive breast cancer if left untreated.

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: South Dakota men and women have the 17th highest rate of non-Hodgkin lymphoma at 19.4 per 100,000 people, compared to the national rate of 18.2.

Testis (testicular) Cancer: South Dakota men have the 15th highest rate of testicular cancer at 6.1 per 100,000 people, compared to the national rate of 5.4.

“This Web-based report includes the official federal statistics on cancer incidence from registries that have high-quality data and cancer mortality statistics for each year and 2006–2010 combined, according to the CDC. “It is produced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), in collaboration with the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR).”

The full report is available at http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/DCPC_INCA/DCPC_INCA.aspx