Connecticut's Cancer Rate is One of the Nation's Highest: Report

HARTFORD, CT - A total of 584,881 people died of cancer in the United States in 2014.

Cancer is the second-leading cause of death right behind heart disease in the United States, according to HealthGrove, a health data website.

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HealthGrove worked with the National Cancer Institute to determine which states have the highest cancer rate in the country and other key health issues.

The authors of the report note that while Connecticut has one of the highest cancer rates in the U.S., it also has one of the lowest cancer-related mortality rates. Connecticut has a high number of doctors living in the state, the report notes.

The most common cancers are breast, lung, prostate, and colon cancer.

Among all 50 states, Connecticut’s cancer incident rate per 100,000 people is 469, which ranks tied for sixth-worst with New Jersey.

Connecticut’s mortality rate per 100,000 people is 152, and that ranks 42nd. In Connecticut there are 122.4 doctors per 100,000 people and the number of doctors in the state is sixth-highest based on population figures.

Kentucky has the nation’s highest cancer incident rate per 100,000 people at 505.2 and its mortality rate per 100,000 is 201.2.

Followed behind Kentucky are Rhode Island, No. 2, Louisiana, No. 3, Delaware, No. 4, and the District of Columbia, No. 5.

On the other end of the spectrum, the states with the lowest cancer rates are: Utah, No. 5, Alaska, No. 4, Wyoming, No. 3, Arizona, No. 2, and New Mexico, No. 1.

New Mexico’s cancer incident rate per 100,000 people is 365.4 and its mortality rate is 148 per 100,000 people.

Read the full HeartGrove report here.

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