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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Kym Cravatt, MPH, CHES, Cancer Programs, Cherokee Nation, PO Box 948, Tahlequah, OK 74465, 918-458-4491, kym-cravatt@cherokee.org, Anne Bliss, MPH, Chronic Disease Service, Oklahoma State Department of Health, 1000 NE 10th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73117, Ann Wheeler, Cancer Registry, Cherokee Nation, 1200 W. 4th Street, Tahlequah, OK 74464, and Gloria Grim, MD, Health Services, Cherokee Nation, PO Box 948, Tahlequah, OK 74465.

Through recent data quality improvements within cancer surveillance systems, the emergence of new, diverse cancer patterns among American Indian populations has shed more light on a truer picture of the cancer burden experienced in Indian Country. These patterns vary greatly from the historic hypothesis that American Indians have substantially lower rates of cancer than their population counterparts. In its own effort to discover the true picture of cancer, the Cherokee Nation has operated the only funded tribal cancer registry since 1997. Through unique partnerships and methods, the Cherokee Nation Cancer Registry (CNCR) collects cancer data among American Indians residing in the 14-county jurisdictional area of the tribe located in Northeast Oklahoma. In its operations, CNCR has encountered expected challenges such as jurisdictional authority as well as population statistical uncertainties. Despite these challenges, the CNCR has produced incidence data which suggest that cancer incidence among this population is equal to or greater than both the United States and the Oklahoma overall population. For the years 1997-2001, the overall preliminary incidence of cancer among the Cherokee Nation is slightly lower the Oklahoma and US populations for all cancer sites. However, the preliminary incidence of lung, breast, and prostate cancers are comparable to both Oklahoma and US populations. Further analysis will be conducted utilizing CNCR data to examine additional cancer patterns within the Cherokee population such as survivorship, stages of diagnosis, and patterns of care.

Learning Objectives:

• List the 5 major cancer sites occuring in the Cherokee Nation.
• Recognize the unique nature of a tribal cancer registry
• Discuss barriers to cancer surveillance among tribal populations

Keywords: American Indians, Cancer

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No