Cancer Deaths In Kentucky Among Highest In Nation.

reports in the first of a two-part series on cancer in Kentucky that “about 10,000 Kentuckians a year” die from cancer, “the highest rate in the nation.” Lung cancer deaths in the state are “50 percent higher than the national average,” while breast, colorectal, and cervical cancers are also at high rates. Louisville gastroenterologist Dr. Whitney Jones said, “It’s really been driven by three major things: obesity, smoking and lack of screening.” The paper points out that “Kentucky is both rural and poor” and that those two characteristics increase the risk of deadly cancer across the nation. The state also has a shortage of physicians, and a high rate of uninsured people, both of which lead to lower than average rates of screening. The article credits some moves to reduce smoking and increased cancer screening under the Affordable Care Act with offering grounds for hope that the state may reduce its cancer mortalities. http://www.courier-journal.com/story/life/wellness/health/2015/12/17/cancer-kills-kentuckians-highest-rate-nation/74874698/