ATLANTA (AP) —
The gap in cancer death rates between college graduates and those who only went
to high school is widening, the American Cancer Society reported Friday.
Among men, the
least educated died of cancer at rates more than 2½ times that of men with
college degrees, the latest data show. In the early 1990s, they died at two
times the rate of most-educated men.
For women, the
numbers aren't as complete but suggest a widening gap also. The data, from
2007, compared people between the ages of 25 and 64.
People with
college degrees are seeing a significant drop in cancer death rates, while
people who have spent less time in school are seeing more modest improvements
or sometimes none at all, explained Elizabeth Ward, who oversees research done
by the cancer society.
The cancer
society estimates there will be nearly 1.6 million new cancer cases in the United States
this year, and 571,950 deaths. It also notes that overall cancer death rates
have been dropping since the early 1990s, but the decline has been greater for
some groups more than others.
Experts believe
that the differences have to do with education, how much people earn and where
they live, among other factors. Researchers like to use education as a
measuring stick because death certificates include that information.
"Just
because we're measuring education doesn't mean we think education is the direct
reason" for the differences among population groups, Ward said.
That said, the
cancer death rate connection to education is striking.
For all types
of cancer among men, there were about 56 deaths per 100,000 for those with at
least 16 years of education compared to 148 deaths per 100,000 for those with
no more than 12 years of school.
For women, the
rate was 59 per 100,000 for the most educated, and 119 per 100,000 for the
least educated.
The gap was
most striking when it comes to lung cancer.
People with a
high school education or less died at a rate four to five times higher than
those with at least four years of college education, the new report said.
More than a
third of premature cancer deaths could have been avoided if everyone had a
college degree, cancer society officials estimated.
Studies have
suggested that less educated people are more likely to do risky things with
their health.
They are more
likely to smoke, drink and overeat, leading to obesity. All those things raise
the risk for various cancers.
As for survival
after diagnosis, the least-educated are often poor people without good health
insurance. Studies have found that people with no health insurance are more
likely to be diagnosed when their cancer is advanced stage, and they are also
less likely to receive standard treatment.