Cancer Catching Up to Heart Disease as No. 1 Killer

Share On Social!

According to the National Vital Statistics System, more people died from cancer than heart disease in 22 states during 2014. This is a substantial uptick from 2002, when only two states (Alaska and Minnesota) had more cancer deaths than heart disease-related ones.

“This might be due to obesity, which is a risk factor for both heart disease and cancer,” explained Dr. Paolo Boffetta, a professor of environmental medicine and public health at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who was not involved in the study. “Cancer deaths gaining on deaths related to heart disease might be explained by the fact that treatment for cancer is more complex, and we are not able to treat cancer as effectively as cardiovascular disease yet.”

For Latinos, cancer is already the leading cause of death for both groups. In 2009, cancer became the leading cause of death for Latinos as the number of deaths increased by 72.2% from 2000 to 2014. Heart disease increased by just 45.5%.

“[Latinos] traditionally have lower cardiovascular mortality,” Boffetta said.

In order to reduce health disparities, it is critical to address inequities in programs, practices, and policies. Join our site, connect with others, and get involved.

This study of the leading causes of death has been compiled annually since 1900. Researchers examine deaths by state recording data on race, ethnicity, and cause of death.

“Heart disease has been the leading cause of death since 1910 except for one year, 1918,” said Bob Anderson, co-author of the study from the Mortality Statistics Branch Division of Vital Statistics at the National Center for Health Statistics.