Each map provides the average annual incidence rate of lung/bronchus cancer per 100,000 for Cuyahoga County and for Cleveland, respectively.

 The maps provide illustrate the distribution new cases of lunch and bronchus (windpipe) cancer that were reported to Cuyahoga County residents between 1998 and 2002.

 Age-adjustment takes into account the age of the person and adjusts the distribution of ages per area against the standard population of the US in 2000. This kind of adjustment removes the effect of age as areas (counties, cities, municipalities) may have more older residents. Since the risk of lung cancer increases with age, age adjustment is a useful method that allows direct comparisons of rates between different geographic areas.

In the first map, the average annual incidence rates in Cuyahoga municipalities were compared against the county rate. Lung cancer rates in Cleveland and Brook Park were significantly greater than the county rate. That is, the confidence interval for the average annual age-adjusted incidence rates for each of these two cities were greater than the point estimate for the county. Areas in blue shading showed lower incident rates than that of the county.

In the second map, the average annual incidence rates in Cleveland neighborhoods were compared against the county and City of Cleveland rates. Lung cancer rates in Detroit-Shoreway, Ohio City and Hough neighborhoods were statistically greater than both the city and county rates. While cases in Kinsman and Downtown showed the highest rates in Cleveland, there was too much variation in rates  (and too small a sample size) in these areas against the city rates to show a statistically significant difference.

The original data were provided by OCISS, the Ohio Cancer Incidence Surveillance System of the Ohio Department of Health. Data were analyzed by the Cleveland Department of Public Health and the Cuyahoga County Board of Health.

Contact dbruckman@city.cleveland.oh.us for more information.