Report Highlights Disparate Burden of Cancer Across the United States

THURSDAY, June 25, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Considerable cancer disparities persist in the United States, according to a report published June 24 by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).

Researchers from the AACR describe the disparate burden of cancer across population groups in the United States, highlighting progress in reducing disparities and emphasizing the need to ensure that research-driven benefits advance all patients.

The authors note that cancer disparities present a public health challenge. Black populations experience higher incidence and mortality for several cancers, including multiple myeloma and prostate cancer, than Whites, and American Indian and Alaska Natives (AIAN) have higher incidence and mortality for cancers of the colorectum, kidney, and cervix. A disproportionate burden of infection-related cancers, including liver and stomach cancers, is born by Hispanic and Asian populations. The overall cancer death rate remains higher among Black and AIAN populations; there is a lower five-year relative cancer survival for all racial and ethnic minorities compared with White populations. A disproportionate burden of cancer is also seen among rural residents, those living in persistent-poverty areas, and sexual and gender minority populations. Cancer disparities result from structural social, environmental, and biological factors, which influence cancer risk, early detection, access to treatment, and outcomes.

“These cancer disparities contribute to the high national cancer burden and slow the overall progress against cancer, with costs and consequences that impact the entire country,” steering committee chair Mariana C. Stern, Ph.D., from the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, said in a statement. “Much work remains before the full benefits of cancer research reach everyone in the U.S.”

AACR Cancer Disparities Progress Report 2026