Cancer Health

Jump to another page... Introduction Fruits and vegetables Fruit consumption Vegetable consumption Use of food labels Smoking Routine annual checkups Colorectal screening Pap test Mammogram and breast exam Direct care physician to population ratio Hospitalization rate for malignant neoplasms Age-adjusted mortality for malignant neoplasms (cancer) Years potential life lost Female Breast Cancer

Pap test

The Pap test is recommended annually for all women starting at age 18 or at the onset of sexual activity. Cervical cancer, when diagnosed in early stages, is 90 percent curable.⁸⁵ In 2004, 79 percent of Texas women indicated having received a Pap test within the preceding three years. The slight decline in rates (from 82 percent) is not statistically significant. In Bexar County, the percentage (81 percent) is equivalent to the Texas and Harris County rates. However, the proportion of Bexar County women receiving pap smears has declined from 87 percent in 2002. The current level is 9 percent lower than the Healthy People 2010 objective for 90 percent of women to have received a Pap test within the preceding 3 years.

The sample size for the 2004 BRFSS is too small to provide reliable estimates of the number of women in most of the sectors, but a reliable estimate can be produced for the north and south areas of the county. Reports of women who live in the southern part of Bexar County indicate that 80 percent received Pap tests in the past three years. In the northern part of Bexar County an equal percentage (81 percent) received Pap tests. The rate was slightly higher in the Northeast sector with 83 percent reporting and slightly lower in the Northwest with 77 percent reporting receiving a Pap test. A decline in the number of women receiving a Pap test could result in higher numbers of women with cervical cancer not receiving the benefits of early detection and an increase in cervical cancer mortality.

Mammogram and breast exam

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and the second most common cause of cancer death in the United States. Mammography, regular breast exams, and breast self-examination are the key components of early detection and surveillance. The Healthy People 2010 objective is for 70 percent of women aged 40 years and older to have received a mammogram within the preceding two years. For the purpose of this assessment, women over the age of 50 were asked about their mammography/breast exam history during the past three years, as this is the current recommended medical practice.

In the period 2004-2005, the level of mammogram/breast examination for the state, 65 percent is similar to the level of examination for Bexar County women, 67 percent. Within Bexar County, several sectors show examination rates that are lower than the county average. Only two sectors, the Northeast and Northwest, show examination rates that are above the county average, 76 and 73 percent respectively. The lowest percentage was reported in the East sector at 40 percent.

Direct care physician to population ratio

Access to quality health care helps to ensure that medical problems are detected and treated promptly. Regular screenings are helpful in early detection of cancer. Clinical practice guidelines recommend periodic cancer testing and screening. Access to physician services is required for residents to utilize these services. In 2004, there were 2,748 direct care physicians in Bexar County and the ratio of direct care physicians to the population per 100,000 is 184. The trend data shows that this rate is constant over the last 12 years for the state and for the Harris and Bexar Counties. The distribution of physicians within Bexar County is skewed to the sectors in the north of the county, 72 percent of physicians in Bexar County practice in the north, one half of these are located near the South Texas Medical Center in the East Northwest area. An additional 16 percent have offices in the central (downtown) area. The remaining 12 percent of physicians practice in the southern part of the county. Health insurance coverage helps provide access to health care services. An estimated 24.6 percent of the Texas population, or 5.4 million persons, were uninsured in 2004. In San Antonio, it is estimated that 24.3 percent or 363,033 residents of the County are uninsured⁸⁶.

Hospitalization rate for malignant neoplasms (cancer)

In 2004, 7,380 people received hospital care for cancer (malignant neoplasm) in Bexar County. The County hospitalization rate of 47 hospitalizations per 10,000 population is lower than state rate of 59 per 10,000. The East sector represents the area with the highest rate of hospitalizations for cancer, at 59 hospitalizations per 10,000 people. The South and West sectors show similar rates at around 40 hospitalizations per 10,000. In the Northern sectors there were 45 to 50 discharges per 10,000 population for cancer care. It is likely that the higher concentration of African Americans living in the East sector explain the higher rate. No definitive research explains why African Americans have higher morbidity and mortality rates. It is possible that a combination of social and environmental factors play a role in this health disparity.