Effective cancer control programs depend to a large degree on the availability of compelling data. The Arkansas Cancer Coalition (ARCC) is committed to ongoing cancer surveillance in Arkansas by supporting national and local programs that measure cancer incidence, mortality, and health behaviors.

Quantitative assessment of the cancer burden in Arkansas can equip health care providers, policy makers, educators, researchers and the public in the fight against cancer. This section includes facts and statistics about cancer in Arkansas, as well as links to other sites that provide data.

Some basic facts about cancer in Arkansas are provided below.

Cancer Incidence

• An estimated 14,700 new cancer cases and 6,100 cancer deaths will occur in Arkansas in 2003.
• The average annual cancer incidence rate in Arkansas is 419 per 100,000 people.

Cancer Deaths

• Arkansas ranks 11th highest overall in cancer mortality rates among the 50 states and Washington, D.C.
• The average annual cancer mortality rate per 100,000 people in Arkansas is 220, compared to 206 nationally.
• According to the most recent data from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Phillips County had the highest cancer death rate, while Benton County had the lowest. The cancer death rate in the following Arkansas counties exceeded the national average: Ashley, Chicot, Cleveland, Crittenden, Cross, Howard, Izard, Lafayette, Lonoke, Phillips, Polk, St. Francis, Yell, Lee, Mississippi, Monroe, Union, and Woodruff.
• Death rates in Arkansas from leukemias, ovarian, skin, and colorectal cancer, as well as female lung cancer rose steadily, while death rates from cervical, breast, prostate, and male lung cancer declined.