Maryland Cancer Rates Down

Overall, cancer rates in Maryland are down although some individual varieties are increasing. Cancer of the liver and pancreas are up slightly and thyroid cancer has increased more than 25% across the period 2001-2005.

The greatest reduction has been with respect to cancer of the cervix with with reductions of stomach, prostate and colorectal cancer close behind. Incidence of cancer in Black Marylanders is noticeably greater than white Marylanders, although recently significant improvement has been seen.

Howard and Montgomery County have performed the best in reducing cancer death rates and have proven to be the only counties in Maryland to successfully meet the Centers for Disease Control Healthy People 2010 objectives. See http://www.healthypeople.gov/

The overall cancer death rate in Maryland is a little more than 10,000 per year with the highest rates in Baltimore City and Somerset County.