Leading Causes of Cancer Mortality - Caribbean Region, 2003-2013

Cancer is one of the leading causes of deaths worldwide; in 2012, an estimated 65% of all cancer deaths occurred in the less developed regions of the world. In the Caribbean region, cancer is the second leading cause of mortality, with an estimated 87,430 cancer-related deaths reported in 2012. CDC calculated site- and sex-specific proportions of cancer deaths and age-standardized mortality rates for 21 English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean countries, the US, and two US territories (Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands), using the most recent 5 years of mortality data available from each jurisdiction during 2003-2013. Several of the leading causes of cancer deaths in the Caribbean can be reduced through primary and secondary preventions, including prevention of exposure to risk factors, screening, early detection, and timely and effective treatment. Although prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality among men in the Caribbean, effective screening strategies that result in reduced mortality have not yet emerged globally.