Skylar Haines: Community Trends Assignment

Public Health Community Trends: Cancer Trends in Alabama

Alabama has been my home for most of my life and I have watched over the years as family members, family friends, and teachers have been diagnosed with cancer. I wanted to know about cancer trends in the state of Alabama, so I called the American Cancer Society and spoke with Marla, a Cancer Information Specialist.

Marla informed me that in the year 2013, there will be an estimated 4,550 deaths related to lung and bronchus cancers. This is the number one cancer issue in the state of Alabama, according to her. Lung and bronchus cancers have the largest estimated number of deaths by any cancer in the state of Alabama for the year 2013. I asked her if this rate of cancer is high in comparison with other states. She said she did not believe it is an abnormal rate.

Moving on from Lung and bronchus cancers, I asked Marla about the cancer that is estimated to cause the second highest number of cancer-related deaths in Alabama for the year 2013. She told me that Prostate cancer is the second highest in regards to estimated number of deaths. It is estimated to cause 3,940 deaths in 2013. This is a large number, especially considering that it is comprised only of men, since women do not have a prostate. However, Marla said she did not think this rate to be abnormal when compared to the rest of the United States.

While males can get breast cancer, it is far more common for women. one reason for this is that women have more breast tissue than men. Marla told me that female breast cancer comes in third place in regards to estimated number of cancer-related deaths for 2013. 3,720 women are estimated to die this year from breast cancer. This number is not quite as high as men who will die from prostate cancer, but it is still a significant concern, only this time, for women. For the case of female breast cancer, Marla said this rate also does not seem abnormal.

Unlike prostate cancer and female breast cancer, colorectal cancer is not gender-specific. Marla said that colorectal cancer is also one of the top cancer issues in Alabama. This year, an estimated 2,390 people will die in Alabama from colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer falls in 4th place for estimated number of deaths related to cancer in the state of Alabama for 2013. Marla said this number is also not abnormal in comparison with other states.

The last cancer I talked about with Marla was melanoma of the skin. She told me that the 5th highest estimated number of cancer-related deaths in the state of Alabama for the year 2013 is attributed to melanoma of the skin. 1,300 people are estimated to die from this cancer in Alabama this year. While the number may seem low in comparison with the other cancers I have mentioned, 1,300 is still a significant concern. Marla said, like the other cancers we discussed, that this number is not particularly abnormal comparatively. However, I would like to point out that this number could decrease significantly by the simple action of applying sunscreen and taking care to guard the skin from excessive sunlight and/or UV rays.