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State epidemiologist: Georgia cancer surveillance shows higher incidence and deaths in rural counties
Summary
Georgia Department of Public Health officials told the study committee that Georgia’s cancer registry data show higher cancer incidence and mortality in many rural counties and that lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death despite declines in lung cancer incidence and mortality over the past decade.
The Georgia Department of Public Health told the House study committee that registries and surveillance data show persistent geographic gaps in cancer incidence and outcomes, with many rural counties recording higher rates of cancer diagnosis and death than metropolitan areas.
“Cancer is a notifiable condition. So by law, all cancer diagnoses are reportable from any healthcare facility to us in Georgia,” said Sherry Drincek, state epidemiologist and chief science officer for the Georgia Department of Public Health. She told lawmakers the state’s longitudinal Georgia Comprehensive Cancer Registry is federally funded and provides the timely data the committee needs to target interventions.
The nut graf: DPH officials presented 2018–2022 incidence and more recent mortality data showing lung cancer as the leading cause of cancer death in Georgia, followed by colorectal cancer; lung cancer deaths have declined about 4.5% per year over the last decade, Drincek said, but colorectal cancer mortality has declined much more slowly or increased in some timeframes. Presenters also highlighted that 42 hospitals in Georgia hold Commission on Cancer accreditation and that most of those hospitals are clustered in non‑rural areas, leaving large rural tracts farther from accredited cancer centers.
DPH told the committee Georgia’s all‑site incidence rate was about 472 per 100,000 and that roughly 60,000 Georgians were diagnosed with cancer in 2022. Drincek emphasized the registry’s role in targeting screening and prevention efforts: “It allows us to collect information not only about…when they’re initially diagnosed, but it allows us to follow them over time from diagnosis … through their course of treatment,” she said.
Ending: DPH staff said they will supply requested county‑level stage‑at‑diagnosis data and other supplemental tables to the committee. Members asked for follow‑up on whether later stage at diagnosis in some rural counties explains higher death rates and emphasized that registry data should guide targeted screening and workforce planning.
