The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Office of Rural Health released a new data brief, Common Cancers in Metropolitan and Non-metropolitan Counties, which highlights differences in cancer incidence and death rates between metropolitan and non-metropolitan communities.
The brief examines the four most common cancers—breast, prostate, lung, and colorectal—and shows that while some cancers are diagnosed more often in metro areas, death rates for these cancers are higher in non-metro counties. This information may help to inform rural cancer prevention, screening, and control efforts.