Ethnic, racial, and geographic disparities in endometrial cancer mortality along the US-Mexico border from 1999 to 2020
To investigate ethnic, racial, and geographic disparities in EC mortality trends from 1999 to 2020, focusing on the US-Mexico border. We utilized death certificate data from the CDC WONDER database to analyze EC mortality across racial, ethnic, and geographic groups. Age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) were calculated, and trends were analyzed using Joinpoint regression to determine annual percentage change (APC) and average annual percentage change (AAPC). From 1999-2020, there were 3635 EC-related deaths in border regions and 185,887 in non-border areas. Non-border regions had higher AAMRs (2.54 vs. 2.21 per 100,000), but EC mortality increased more rapidly in border regions (AAPC, 1.35; P < 0.001) than in non-border areas (AAPC, 0.73; P < 0.001). Hispanic women had lower overall mortality (AAMR, 2.04 vs. 2.56 per 100,000) but experienced a faster increase in mortality (AAPC, 1.30 vs. 0.88; P < 0.001) compared to non-Hispanics. Black women had the highest mortality (AAMR, 4.71) and a significant upward trend (AAPC, 1.02; P < 0.001) CONCLUSION: EC mortality disparities are evident across racial, ethnic, and geographic lines, with Hispanic women and border regions showing steeper increases in mortality over time. Black women continue to experience the highest mortality rates. These findings underscore the need for targeted public health interventions to address socioeconomic barriers and improve healthcare access in these vulnerable populations.