Incidence of Cancer of the Pancreas by County, New Mexico, 2017-2021
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Incidence of Cancer of the Pancreas by County, New Mexico, 2017-2021

Why Is This Important?
Pancreatic cancer forms in tissues of the pancreas, a digestive organ located behind the lower part of the stomach. Each year, pancreatic cancer accounts for 3.2% of all new cancer cases and 8.2% of all cancer deaths in the U.S. This equates to approximately 62,210 cases and 49,830 deaths. The five-year survival rate is 11.5%. The disease often has a poor prognosis, even when diagnosed early. Pancreatic cancer typically spreads rapidly and is seldom detected in its early stages, which is a primary reason why it is a major cause of cancer death. Smoking is generally considered to be the biggest risk factor for developing pancreatic cancer.
Definition
Pancreatic cancer incidence refers to the number of persons newly diagnosed with pancreatic cancer during a specified time period. Measures include: 1) age-adjusted pancreatic cancer incidence rates (adjusted by the direct method to the 2000 US standard population); and 2) age-adjusted incidence rates by race/ethnicity. All rates are expressed per 100,000 persons.
Data Notes
- Rates have been age-adjusted using the direct method and the 2000 U.S. standard population. For more information on age-adjustment, please visit [https://ibis.doh.nm.gov/resource/AARate.html the NM-IBIS page on age-adjustment].
- Rates have been age-adjusted using the direct method and the 2000 U.S. standard population.
Data Sources
- New Mexico Population Estimates: University of New Mexico, Geospatial and Population Studies (GPS) Program.
(http://gps.unm.edu/) - New Mexico Tumor Registry
(https://nmtrweb.unm.edu/)
How the Measure is Calculated
Numerator:
The number of pancreas cancer cases newly diagnosed in New Mexico residents within a specified time period.Denominator:
The estimated population of New Mexico residents within a specified time period.
Data Issues
New Mexico Population Estimates
{{class RedText NOTE: On January 16, 2025, the NM-IBIS and NMTracking POPULATION ESTIMATES FOR YEARS **2010 THROUGH 2023** WERE REPLACED. Data from the 2020 decennial census were used to update the estimates. Rates calculated using the NM-IBIS and NMTracking web-based queries are affected. Any rates that use population denominators that were calculated after January 16, 2025 will be different from those calculated prior to that date. We apologize for the inconvenience.}} All population estimates apply to July 1 of the selected year. These estimates are considered the most accurate estimates for the state of New Mexico and should match those found on the University of New Mexico [https://gps.unm.edu/pop/population-estimates.html Geospatial and Population Studies website]. Estimates include decimal fractions. Census tract population estimates were summed to produce County estimates. Population estimate totals may vary slightly due to rounding.
New Mexico Tumor Registry
In agreement with the New Mexico Tumor Registry, to ensure confidentiality the count of cancer cases is suppressed for any given county if the count is between one and four and the population is less than 1,000. NOTE: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted health services, leading to delays and reductions in cancer screening, diagnosis, and reporting to some central cancer registries. This may have contributed to an observed decline in 2020 incidence for most cancer sites.
