For many American families who have been struck with cancer.
The states with the highest incidence rates for breast cancer are Kentucky, Rhode Island, Delaware, Louisiana and New Jersey. The states with the lowest rates are New Mexico, Arizona, Wyoming, Alaska and Virginia. Incidence rates can vary widely. The difference between Kentucky and New Mexico, for example, is 193 cases.
The EPA says this Louisiana town has the nation’s highest risk of developing cancer from air toxins. The plant emitting the toxins says otherwise. Locals are outraged.
Preview Toxic tensions in the heart of ‘Cancer Alley’
According to the CDC, these 10 states have the highest age-adjusted cancer incidence rates.
Find out what some of the biggest risk factors are in these states as well as what therapies are being introduced to curb the rising tide of cancer diagnoses.
I would attest that there is perhaps no word or diagnosis scarier to me in the English language than cancer. A survey conducted in 2010 by Cancer Research UK in Britain would appear to agree with me, as more respondents chose cancer as their biggest fear over a number of other ailments including Alzheimer’s disease, a heart attack, or being in a plane crash.
The reasons cancer is often viewed so negatively is twofold.
Here are the 10 states with the highest age-adjusted incidence rates of cancer:
| State | Age-Adjusted Cancer Incidence Rate |
|---|---|
| Kentucky | 510.7 |
| Delaware | 491.2 |
| Pennsylvania | 489.1 |
| Maine | 486.7 |
| New Hampshire | 485.7 |
| Louisiana | 485.3 |
| Connecticut | 485 |
| New York | 482.5 |
| Iowa | 480 |
| Michigan | 477.1 |
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, rates per 100,000 people according to 2000 U.S. Census.
Breaking down these figures
There are four particular cancer types that are diagnosed more in this country than any other form of cancer: prostate cancer in men, breast cancer in women, lung and bronchus cancer, and colorectal cancer.
As these states relate to prostate cancer incidence, five of the eight highest incidence states are listed above in Louisiana, Michigan, Delaware, New York, and New Hampshire. In female breast cancer, four of the aforementioned states are in the top nine — Connecticut, Delaware, New Hampshire, and Iowa. The story is similar in colorectal cancer, with only Louisiana, Kentucky, and Iowa showing up within the top six incident rate states. Finally, three of the states above — Kentucky, Maine, and Louisiana — crack the top nine in terms of highest incidence for lung and bronchus cancer.
Clearly, there are a number of factors at work here, but I suspect obesity could be a prime one. WHO, the CDC, and the Mayo Clinic all list obesity as a major cancer-causing risk factor. In addition, obesity can lead to a number of other serious diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. As of 2010, as you can see below, three of these 10 states — Louisiana, Kentucky, and Michigan — all had obesity levels in excess of 30%, likely increasing their cancer incidence rates.
Amish People have very low Cancer Rates 🙂
(1) Free from electromagnetic waves (no tv, no smart phone, no electric lights, no microwave cooking, etc);
(2) near-organic food;
(3) alcohol and smoking rare;
(4) active lifestyle.
