Angeletha Smith, a cancer survivor, holds a picture of her mother who died from cancer last year. PHOTO COURTESY OF SYLVESTER COMPREHENSIVE CANCER CENTER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI

By David L. Snelling

Miami – Cancer is the second leading cause of death in America, and Florida ranks among the states with the highest rates, with Miami-Dade and Broward counties leading the way.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Florida has the third highest rate for cancer patients nationwide, with 130,062 cases in 2023.

Maine tops the list 159,231 and West Virginia is second with 140,234 cases.

Florida is showing a cancer incidence higher than Connecticut and Kentucky, which round out the top five.

Miami-Dade and Broward County have the highest cancer rate in Florida, with 20,456 and 18,238, respectively, which reflects the ongoing health challenges faced by communities in the most densely populated areas.

According to the American Cancer Society, elderly people, age 50 and above, are more at risk of developing cancer because of aging, with 88 percent of diagnoses.

Young adults and middle aged people constitute the remaining percentage of cancer diagnosis, as Americans have about a 40 percent chance of developing the deadly disease at some point in their lives.

 

Sadly, 20 percent who develop cancer will die from the disease.

But colon cancer is on the rise in younger people in the U.S., according to the National Cancer Institute.

Americans born between 1981 and 1996 are at twice the risk for colon cancer as those born in 1950.

People with a family history of cancer, tobacco use and excessive alcohol intake, environmental exposures and poor dieting and lack of exercise are also risk factors.

Nationwide, cancer impacts the Black community immensely.

Blacks living in Florida and beyond recorded the highest death rate for cancer including breast and prostate cancer, the two most common cancers in both men and women.

In addition, Black women are 35 percent more likely to die from breast cancer than white women, despite slightly lower incidence rates, and Blacks’ survival rate is lower than white people for almost every cancer type.

In Miami-Dade and Broward counties, the numbers translate into thousands of families dealing with the emotional and financial burden of cancer.

Local hospitals and cancer research centers, such as Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami, continue to stress the importance of screenings, particularly for breast and lung cancers.

“Getting screened can help identify cancer at its earliest stages, often before symptoms begin,” the center said in a statement. “When cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, you typically have more treatment options and a better chance of it being cured than if it is caught at a later stage of the disease.”

Routine cancer screening saved the life of Miami resident Angeletha Smith, who is now cancer free.

Diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer following a routine mammogram, Smith was inspired to get screened following the loss of her mother, a nurse for over 30 years, to cancer.

When doctors told her she was cancer free, Smith rang the bell which is Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center’s celebration to mark the end of her treatment that came on the oneyear anniversary of her mother’s death.

“I’m fighting for her because she couldn’t fight for herself,” she said.

Florida has taken steps for cancer research and treatment spearheaded by First Lady Casey DeSantis, also a breast cancer survivor.

DeSantis founded the Casey DeSantis Cancer Research Program and Cancer Connect Collaborative Incubator to fight cancer.

The Florida Legislature this year budgeted $218 million in funding for cancer-related initiatives, bringing the total state investment to $1.1 billion for cancer research and treatment since it was launched in 2022.

The Florida Department of Health makes payments to Florida-based cancer centers recognized by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at the National Institutes of Health as NCI-designated cancer centers or NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers, and cancer centers working toward achieving NCI designation. The department distributes funds to participating cancer centers on a quarterly basis during each fiscal year for which an appropriation is made.