Cancer in Oklahoma
Fast Facts
- Among Oklahomans alive in 2000, 1.4 million will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime.
- Cancer is the second leading cause of death in Oklahoma.
- Almost 17,000 Oklahomans are diagnosed with cancer every year.
- Almost 7,500 Oklahomans die each year from cancer.
- Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in Oklahoma.
- Oklahomans of any age are more likely to smoke than the general US population.
Women and Cancer in Oklahoma
- One in three Oklahoma women will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime.
- The five leading cancers diagnosed among Oklahoma women are breast, lung, colon, uterus and non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
- Around 2,500 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer each year.
- Oklahoma women age 40 and better are more likely not to have had a mammogram in the past two years than women in the general US population.
- Oklahoma ranks second worst among US states in the number of women who have not had a Pap smear in the last five years.
Men and Cancer in Oklahoma
- One in two Oklahoma men will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime.
- The five leading cancers diagnosed among Oklahoma men are prostate, lung, colon, urinary bladder and non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
- Over 2,000 Oklahoma men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year.
- About one in four Oklahoma men age 50 and older have never had a PSA test.
Minority Populations and Cancer in Oklahoma
- African American men have the highest overall age-adjusted incidence and mortality rates for cancer in Oklahoma.
- African American men are 2.7 times more likely to die from prostate cancer than white men.
- Hispanic women have the highest age-adjusted incidence rate of breast cancer in Oklahoma.
- American Indians are more likely to be diagnosed with lung and bronchus cancer than other racial or ethnic groups in Oklahoma.
[Source: Cancer in Oklahoma, 2004. Prepared by the Chronic Disease Service, Oklahoma State Department of Health]
