Ahmedin Jemal

American Cancer Society · Surveillance & Health Services Research

Background Low participation in cancer screening contributes to a disproportionate burden of cancer morbidity and mortality among adults with mental health (MH) disorders like depression and anxiety. It is unknown whether MH treatment affects screening participation in this population. Methods Using the 2019 and 2021 National Health Interview Surv...

Each year, the American Cancer Society estimates the numbers of new cancer cases and deaths in the United States and compiles the most recent data on population‐based cancer occurrence and outcomes using incidence data collected by central cancer registries (through 2021) and mortality data collected by the National Center for Health Statistics (th...

Introduction Several reviews have highlighted that the Patient‐Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG‐SGA) is the best diagnostic tool for assessing nutritional status in cancer patients. However, previous meta‐analyses summarizing the prevalence of malnutrition and overall survival in patients with gastrointestinal (GI) cancer are quite limite...

Objective Cervical cancer remains the most diagnosed and deadly cancer among women in low and middle income countries, including Ethiopia, although it can be controlled if detected and treated early. However, research on contextual barriers to early diagnosis and treatment of cervical cancer is limited in Ethiopia. This study aimed to describe the...

Background Cervical cancer (CCa) is the second most common type of cancer and a leading cause of death among adult women in Ethiopia. However, at the moment, there is a lack of evidence that can be generalizable as a whole to the country regarding the uptake of cervical cancer screening. Objective The aim of this review was to assess the pooled es...

Background Previous studies have shown that colorectal cancer incidence is increasing among younger adults (aged <50 years) in multiple high-income western countries in contrast with stabilising or decreasing trends in incidence in older adults (aged ≥50 years). This study aimed to investigate contemporary colorectal cancer incidence trends in youn...

Radiotherapy for breast cancer has been associated with an increased risk of secondary malignancies, including primary lung cancer. Whether this association varies by histological subtype of lung cancer remains unknown. Based on the data from 12 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registries, we examined the association between radiotherapy...

For many cancer sites, it is unclear to what extent differences in health insurance coverage contribute to racial and ethnic disparities in stage III-IV diagnoses. Using the National Cancer Database (1,893,026 patients aged 18-64 years, diagnosed between 2013-2019), we investigated a potential mediating role of health insurance (privately insured v...

Purpose Social support has been linked to increased use of preventive care services. Living arrangements and residential stability may be important structural sources of social support, but few studies have examined their impact on cancer screening. Methods Data were from the 2021 National Health Interview Survey. Participants were classified as u...

Background Annual mammography screening declined year-on-year during the COVID-19 pandemic through 2021. This study examined changes in 2022 compared with 2018 in the national prevalence of self-reported up-to-date mammography. Methods Using 2018 to 2022 data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance...

Previous studies reported higher lung cancer incidence in women than men among persons aged 35–54 years in the United States, a reversal of historically higher rates in men. We examined whether this pattern varies by state. Based on lung cancer incidence (2015–2019) data among adults aged 35–54 years from Cancer in North America database and histor...

PURPOSE The extent of symptoms of depression among patients with breast cancer compared with those without the disease is not well documented in Ethiopia and other sub-Saharan African countries. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study examines the prevalence of symptoms of depression in women with breast cancer (n = 436) compared with those without breas...

This is the American Cancer Society's biennial update of statistics on breast cancer among women based on high‐quality incidence and mortality data from the National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Breast cancer incidence continued an upward trend, rising by 1% annually during 2012–2021, largely confined to loca...

Background Neighborhood environment has been recognized as a key determinant of health. Neighborhood disorder refers to physical and social characteristics of neighborhoods that may signal the breakdown of order and social control. Previous studies have reported that neighborhood disorder, such as high levels of noise, vandalism, abandoned building...

For many cancer sites, it is unclear to what extent differences in health insurance coverage contribute to racial and ethnic disparities in stage III-IV diagnoses. Using the National Cancer Database (1,893,026 patients aged 18-64 years, diagnosed between 2013-2019), we investigated a potential mediating role of health insurance (privately insured v...

Cancer survival rates are generally lower in Black than White individuals. We examined stage-specific cancer survival in non-Hispanic Black (Black) and non-Hispanic White (White) individuals by urbanicity of county of residence. Data on 5-year stage-specific cancer survival for all, lung, female breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers diagnosed in...

Lung cancer in women is a modern epidemic and represents a global health crisis. Cigarette smoking remains the most important risk factor for lung cancer in all patients and, among women globally, rates of smoking continue to increase. Although some data exist supporting sex‐based differences across the continuum of lung cancer, there is currently...

Importance Little is known about the causes of second primary cancers among individuals with a history of cancer. Descriptive studies have suggested that lifestyle factors, including excess body weight, may be important. Objective To investigate whether excess body weight is associated with the risk of a second primary malignant neoplasm among can...

Background Prior studies in Ethiopia have not validated the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) for assessing the nutritional status of adult cancer patients. This study aimed to evaluate the content and linguistic validity of both the full-length and short-form versions of the PG-SGA in Ethiopia. Methods A panel of nine expert...

Background To assess population-based quality of cancer care in Sub-Saharan Africa and to identify specific gaps and joint opportunities, we assessed concordance of diagnostic and treatment with NCCN harmonized guidelines for leading cancer types in 10 countries. Methods Adult patients with female breast cancer (BC), cervical cancer (CC), colorect...

Cervical cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in women in Ethiopia. However, data are limited on the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes. Self-sampled vaginal lavages were obtained consecutively from 783 women attending 7 health facilities across Ethiopia. Genotype prevalence was assessed by Multiplex-Papillomavirus-Ge...

In 2018, the authors reported estimates of the number and proportion of cancers attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors in 2014 in the United States. These data are useful for advocating for and informing cancer prevention and control. Herein, based on up‐to‐date relative risk and cancer occurrence data, the authors estimated the propor...

Divergent trends of breast cancer incidence by subtype have been reported in the United States and elsewhere; however, it remains unknown whether this trend has continued until the era of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Using high‐quality population‐based cancer registry data, representing 83% of the US population, this study examined breast cancer incidenc...

Background The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommend lung-cancer screening for individuals aged 50-80 with ≥20 pack-years and ≤15 quit-years, but uptake is low. The risk and benefit profiles of screening attendees are unknown; consequently, the impact and lost opportunity of ongoing lung-cancer screening in the US remains...

Importance The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends annual lung cancer screening (LCS) with low-dose computed tomography in high-risk individuals (age 50-80 years, ≥20 pack-years currently smoking or formerly smoked, and quit <15 years ago) for early detection of LC. However, representative state-level LCS data are unavailable nati...

12043 Background: Little is known about the etiology of second primary cancers among survivors of older adult-onset cancers. Descriptive studies have suggested that lifestyle factors, including body mass index (BMI), may be important. Here we investigated whether BMI is associated with the risk of a subsequent malignancy among older adult cancer su...

Background Individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, or gender‐nonconforming (LGBTQ+) experience discrimination and minority stress that may lead to elevated cancer risk. Methods In the absence of population‐based cancer occurrence information for this population, this article comprehensively examines contem...

Background: Anti-retroviral therapy in most parts of the world, including Ethiopia, has allowed HIV patients to live longer but with a corresponding rise in risk of developing non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Hence, this study aimed to describe the magnitude of behavioural, physical, and biochemical risk factors for NCDs among people living with h...

Importance The difference in lung cancer incidence by sex has been extensively documented in the US. Nonetheless, previous studies did not differentiate between first primary lung cancers (FPLCs) and those that occur in individuals with a history of cancer (i.e., subsequent primary lung cancers or SPLCs). Objective To examine whether the sex-specif...

Background Breast cancer survivors face an elevated risk of subsequent primary lung cancer (SPLC), especially those who received radiotherapy. Nevertheless, the association of radiotherapy for breast cancer and the risk of subtype-specific lung cancer is unknown. Methods Females diagnosed with first primary breast cancer at ages 20-84 years from 19...

This article presents global cancer statistics by world region for the year 2022 based on updated estimates from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). There were close to 20 million new cases of cancer in the year 2022 (including nonmelanoma skin cancers [NMSCs]) alongside 9.7 million deaths from cancer (including NMSC). The estim...

Background: Breast cancer is the most common diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death among females in Ethiopia and in many parts of the world. In sub-Saharan African countries including Ethiopia, a high proportion of breast cancer patients present with locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) or metastatic disease at the time of diagnos...

PURPOSE Breast cancer (BC) is the leading cause of cancer morbidity and mortality in Ethiopia, yet financial hardship is often overlooked. Herein, we examined the financial hardship of BC among women newly diagnosed with the disease in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. MATERIALS AND METHODS We conducted a comparative cross-sectional study of financial hardsh...

Introduction Community health centers (CHCs) provide historically marginalized populations with primary care, including cancer screening. Previous studies have reported that women living in rural areas are less likely to be up to date with cervical cancer screening than women living in urban areas. However, little is known about rural–urban differe...

Objective: To examine mortality trends for hematological cancer subtypes (leukemia, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and myeloma) by educational attainment and sex in the United States. Methods: Using data on 1,082,234 U.S. deaths from 2000-2020, age-standardized death rates were calculated by sex and educational attainment (high school/...

Background: Loneliness, as a distressing feeling, occurs with a discrepancy between an individual’s social needs and one’s social relationship. Cancer patients, particularly, may feel loneliness, when their expected practical and emotional support from family or friend were not met. Loneliness can impair the capacity to self-regulate lifestyle beha...

Background: Living in deprived or rural neighborhoods can negatively influence individual health through various mechanisms, including limited access to care due to scarce resources, medical facilities, or health professionals. Prior ecological studies have shown an association between living in rural or disadvantaged areas and higher cancer morbid...

Despite decades of declining mortality rates, lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. This article examines lung cancer incidence, stage at diagnosis, survival, and mortality using population‐based data from the National Cancer Institute, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the North American Asso...

Background This study compared the survival of persons with secondary acute myeloid leukemia (sAML) to those with de novo AML (dnAML) by age at AML diagnosis, chemotherapy receipt, and cancer type preceding sAML diagnosis. Methods Data from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results 17 Registries were used, which included 47,704 individuals diagn...

Each year, the American Cancer Society estimates the numbers of new cancer cases and deaths in the United States and compiles the most recent data on population‐based cancer occurrence and outcomes using incidence data collected by central cancer registries (through 2020) and mortality data collected by the National Center for Health Statistics (th...

Introduction Several organizations now recommend average risk individuals begin colorectal cancer (CRC) screening at age 45 instead of 50 years. We present contemporary estimates of CRC screening in newly eligible adults ages 45-49 years between 2019-2021. Methods Nationally representative prevalence estimates and population number screened were e...

Importance Medicaid expansion under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is associated with gains in health insurance coverage, earlier stage diagnosis, and improved survival among patients with cancer. Objective To examine the association of Medicaid expansion with changes in early mortality among adults undergoing surgical resection of...

Background Cancer is becoming a major public health problem globally and a leading cause of death in children in developed countries. However, little is known about the epidemiology of childhood cancer in Ethiopia. This study, therefore, assessed childhood cancer incidence patterns in Addis Ababa using the Addis Ababa city population-based cancer r...

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic led to health care disruptions and declines in cancer diagnoses in the United States. However, the impact of the pandemic on cancer incidence rates by stage at diagnosis and race and ethnicity is unknown. This cross‐sectional study calculated delay‐ and age‐adjusted incidence rates, stratified by sta...

In 2021, the American Cancer Society published its first biennial report on the status of cancer disparities in the United States. In this second report, the authors provide updated data on racial, ethnic, socioeconomic (educational attainment as a marker), and geographic (metropolitan status) disparities in cancer occurrence and outcomes and contr...

Importance The COVID-19 pandemic led to disruptions in access to health care, including cancer care. The extent of changes in receipt of cancer treatment is unclear. Objective To evaluate changes in the absolute number, proportion, and cancer treatment modalities provided to patients with newly diagnosed cancer during 2020, the first year of the p...

112 Background: Previous studies reported improvements in multiple care quality measures, including cancer screening, in patients served in federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) located in Medicaid expansion states compared to non-expansion states. However, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted delivery of routine primary care. Little is known about...

Background Previous studies have shown an association between living alone and cancer mortality; however, findings by sex and race/ethnicity have generally been inconsistent, and data by socioeconomic status are sparse. The association between living alone and cancer mortality by sex, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status in a nationally represe...

This cross-sectional study examines the incidence rates of lung cancer in women compared with men from 2000 to 2019.

Background Educational attainment is a social determinant of health and frequently used as an indicator of socioeconomic status. Educational attainment is a predictor of cancer mortality, but associations with site-specific cancer incidence are variable. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of educational attainment and site-specif...

Background With access to cancer care services limited because of coronavirus disease 2019 control measures, cancer diagnosis and treatment have been delayed. The authors explored changes in the counts of US incident cases by cancer type, age, sex, race, and disease stage in 2020. Methods Data were extracted from selected US population‐based cance...

Background: The burden of colorectal cancer (CRC) is increasing in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, little is known about CRC treatment and survival in the region. Methods: A random sample of 653 patients with CRC diagnosed from 2011 to 2015 was obtained from 11 population-based cancer registries in SSA. Information on clinical characteristics...

PURPOSE There are limited data on the association between delay in breast cancer diagnosis after breast symptom recognition and survival, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. The recently launched Global Breast Cancer Initiative by WHO includes measuring delay as the core indicator for quality of breast cancer care. Herein, we examined the associati...

Background: The emergence of COVID-19 disrupted health care, with consequences for cancer diagnoses and outcomes, especially for early stage diagnoses, which generally have favourable prognoses. We aimed to examine nationwide changes in adult cancer diagnoses and stage distribution during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic by cancer type and...

Importance: Comprehensive data for racial and ethnic disparities after second primary cancers (SPCs) are lacking despite the growing burden of SPCs. Objective: To quantify racial and ethnic disparities in survival among persons with SPCs. Design, setting, and participants: This population-based, retrospective cohort study used data from 18 Sur...

Purpose: Although cervical cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in Ethiopia, brachytherapy (BT) was not a component in patient treatment until 2015. The purpose of this study was to identify the patterns of utilization as well as to describe the practice of BT in Ethiopia. Materials and methods: A retrospective descriptive data an...

Background: This study aims to quantify Black-White inequities in cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality among US survivors of 18 adult-onset cancers and the extent to which these inequities are explained by differences in socio-economic and clinical factors. Methods: Survivors of cancers diagnosed at ages 20-64 years during 2007-16 were identif...

Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cause of cancer death in both genders worldwide. Aims This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes and prognostic factors of CRC patients at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital in Ethiopia. Methods and Results A prospective cohort study was conducted on 209 patients from January 2020 to Sept...

Clinical guidelines have endorsed early palliative care for patients with advanced malignancies, but receipt remains low in the US. This study examined the association between Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act and receipt of palliative care among patients newly diagnosed with advanced-stage cancers. Using the National Cancer Database...

Accessibility of healthy food is an important predictor for several health outcomes, but its association with life expectancy is unclear. We evaluated the association between U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Research Atlas measures of healthy food accessibility and life expectancy at birth across contiguous U.S. census tracts using spatial mod...

Background: Although non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is the 6th most common malignancy in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), little is known about its management and outcome. Herein, we examined treatment patterns and survival among NHL patients. Methods: We obtained a random sample of adult patients diagnosed between 2011 and 2015 from 11 population-based ca...

Background Lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, and is the 8th leading cause of cancer mortality in Ethiopia. There are two main types of lung cancer: non–small cell lung cancer and small-cell lung cancer, with non–small cell lung cancer accounting for 80–85%. We report on a study of the...

12093 Background: Racial and ethnic disparities in survival after first primary cancer diagnoses have been well documented. Yet comprehensive data for disparities after subsequent primary cancer (SPC) are lacking despite the growing burden of SPCs. Methods: This study included 230,370 persons diagnosed with one of the 13 common SPCs at ages≥20 year...

Background United States cancer death rates have been steadily declining since the early 1990s, but information on disparities in progress against cancer mortality across congressional districts is lacking. This study examined trends in cancer death rates, overall and for lung, colorectal, female breast, and prostate cancer by congressional distric...

Background: Massachusetts was the first to implement a state-wide menthol cigarette sales restriction in the USA. Following its implementation in June 2020, evidence showed declines in cigarette sales in Massachusetts; however, changes in nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) product sales are unknown. Methods: This cohort study analysed NRT produc...

Background: Most prior studies have reported cancer mortality trends across countries for specific cancer types. Herein, we examine recent patterns and trends in cancer mortality rates for the eight common forms of cancer in 47 countries across five continents (except Africa) based on the World Health Organization mortality database. Methods: Ra...