Advertisement

Evaluation of Racial Classification Standards in U.S. Cancer Surveillance Systems


Advertisement
Get Permission

Despite multiple federal updates to race data collection standards, researchers have found persistent discrepancies in how cancer incidence and mortality rates are recorded for racial minorities—particularly multiracial individuals. A recent study in Cancer highlights how evolving definitions of race may obscure true cancer burdens, with implications for oncology practice, cancer surveillance, and health-equity efforts.

“The concept of race plays a critical role in cancer prevention, as it interacts with social and environmental factors to influence cancer risk, incidence, treatment, and outcomes,” said corresponding author Mandi Yu, PhD, Program Director, Statistical Research & Applications Branch, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute. “Enhancing the accuracy of patients’ self-reported racial identification and incorporating multiracial classifications into hospital data collection systems are essential steps for improving the comparability between cancer incidence and census-based population data.”

Study Methods and Rationale 

In 1977, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) set standards for collecting multiracial data with the goal of improving the quality of federal race and ethnicity data. The 1977 standards specified collecting data for White, Black, American Indian or Alaskan Native, and Asian or Pacific Islander (API) individuals living in the United States. A revision in 1997 stated that more than one race could be specified, and the API category was separated into Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander and Asian. A further revision in 2024 added a new race category for Middle Eastern/North African individuals.

Accurate measurements of cancer incidence and mortality are necessary to address unique needs for racial minorities in cancer prevention and care.

Researchers sought to assess how accurately race-specific cancer rates of incidence and mortality are tracked in the United States in line with the OMB standards for collecting multiracial data.

The study authors analyzed data on cancer incidences from the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program and mortality records from the National Vital Statistics System, according to the racial definitions set by the 1977 and 1997 OMB standards and revisions. These data were compared with population data from Census Bureau 2022 estimates.

Key Study Findings 

The researchers found that rates of multiracial individuals by cancer incidence and mortality found in SEER and the National Vital Statistics System were lower than seen in the general population data. The degree of difference varied by age, race, and geography.

Racial definitions did not significantly impact cancer incidence or mortality rates for White, Black, and Asian individuals. However, rates were lower when accounting for multiracial individuals, especially for multiracial Native Hawaiians or Other Pacific Islanders. Differences in rates were seen for American Indians/Alaskan Natives in line with how they were classified as either “bridged-race” or “race-alone-or-in-combination,” representing a difference in classifications between the data sources.

“This article is the first to demonstrate the usefulness of race-alone-or-in-combination categories in capturing cancer burdens for minority race groups,” the study authors noted in their published report.

Disclosure: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit onlinelibrary.wiley.com

The content in this post has not been reviewed by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. (ASCO®) and does not necessarily reflect the ideas and opinions of ASCO®.
Advertisement

Advertisement




Advertisement