American Indians/Alaska Native men and women generally have lower cancer rates than the total population. However, health gaps still exist within certain types of cancer.
- From 2015-2021, American Indians/Alaska Native males diagnosed with stomach cancer had a survival rate that was 55% lower than males of the total population.1
- From 2019-2023, American Indians/Alaska Native males died from stomach cancer 94% more often than the total population.1
- In 2024, American Indians/Alaska Native females were diagnosed with cervical cancer 29% more frequently than females of the total population.2
- American Indians/Alaska Native adults had lower screening rates for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer than the total population.3
Visit MedlinePlus for more health information about Cancer and Living with Cancer in multiple languages.
Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute for information about cancer screening.
Looking for curated searches on cancer within minority and tribal populations, including American Indians/Alaska Native populations, in the United States and its territories? Check out the OMH Knowledge Center Topic Guides.
Occurrence
| Cancer among adults ages 18 and over, age-adjusted percentage, 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer | AI/AN | Total Population | Ratio (AI/AN / Total) |
| All Sites | 9.2 | 10.3 | 0.89 |
| Breast | 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.06 |
| Cervical (Females) | 0.9 | 0.7 | 1.29 |
| Prostate (Males) | Not Reported | 2.6 | Not Reported |
| Any Skin | 1.2 | 3.6 | 0.33 |
Top Cancer Sites
| Cancer incidence among males, delay-adjusted and age-adjusted rate per 100,000 population, 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer | AI/AN* Males | Total Population Males | Ratio (AI/AN* / Total) |
| All Sites | 468.8 | 500.3 | 0.94 |
| Colon & Rectum (Including Appendix) | 60.9 | 43.5 | 1.40 |
| Esophagus | 7.8 | 7.3 | 1.07 |
| Kidney | 34.4 | 23.6 | 1.46 |
| Liver & Intrahepatic Bile Duct (IBD) | 20.2 | 13.9 | 1.45 |
| Lung | 49.3 | 51.0 | 0.97 |
| Oral Cavity & Pharynx | 19.6 | 17.9 | 1.09 |
| Pancreas | 10.5 | 15.9 | 0.66 |
| Prostate | 108.2 | 133.6 | 0.81 |
| Stomach | 12.4 | 9.6 | 1.29 |
| Cancer incidence among females, delay-adjusted and age-adjusted rate per 100,000 population, 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer | AI/AN* Females | Total Population Females | Ratio (AI/AN* / Total) |
| All Sites | 482.4 | 441.7 | 1.09 |
| Breast | 136.4 | 136.5 | 1.00 |
| Cervical | 15.1 | 7.8 | 1.94 |
| Colon & Rectum (Including Appendix) | 49.6 | 34.0 | 1.46 |
| Kidney | 19.9 | 12.0 | 1.66 |
| Liver & Intrahepatic Bile Duct (IBD) | 14.4 | 5.8 | 2.48 |
| Lung | 48.4 | 43.7 | 1.11 |
| Pancreas | 11.6 | 12.7 | 0.91 |
| Stomach | 9.1 | 6.5 | 1.40 |
| Uterus | 38.3 | 29.2 | 1.31 |
Five-Year Survival Rates
| 5-year survival rate among males, percentage, 2015–2021 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer | AI/AN* Males | Total Population Males | Ratio (AI/AN* / Total) |
| All Sites | 57.1 | 68.7 | 0.83 |
| Colon & Rectum (Including Appendix) | 60.7 | 64.5 | 0.94 |
| Kidney | 77.4 | 78.8 | 0.98 |
| Liver & IBD | 17.5 | 21.7 | 0.81 |
| Lung | 17.4 | 23.8 | 0.73 |
| Pancreas | 6.2 | 13.1 | 0.47 |
| Prostate | 92.4 | 97.9 | 0.94 |
| Stomach | 15.5 | 34.2 | 0.45 |
| 5-year survival rate among females, percentage, 2015–2021 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer | AI/AN* Females | Total Population Females | Ratio (AI/AN* / Total) |
| All Sites | 65.7 | 71.2 | 0.92 |
| Breast | 86.6 | 91.7 | 0.94 |
| Cervical | 72.7 | 68.0 | 1.07 |
| Colon & Rectum (Including Appendix) | 64.0 | 66.4 | 0.96 |
| Kidney | 81.6 | 81.4 | 1.00 |
| Liver & IBD | 20.7 | 22.8 | 0.91 |
| Lung | 26.9 | 32.6 | 0.83 |
| Pancreas | 8.2 | 13.5 | 0.61 |
| Stomach | 21.1 | 43.2 | 0.49 |
| Uterus | 84.0 | 81.1 | 1.04 |
Mortality
| 5-year mortality among males, age-adjusted rate per 100,000 population, 2019–2023 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer | AI/AN* Males | Total Population Males | Ratio (AI/AN* / Total) |
| All Sites | 180.5 | 171.5 | 1.05 |
| Colon & Rectum (Including Appendix) | 21.0 | 15.3 | 1.37 |
| Liver & IBD | 15.7 | 9.4 | 1.67 |
| Lung | 35.2 | 37.2 | 0.95 |
| Pancreas | 10.9 | 12.9 | 0.84 |
| Prostate | 18.9 | 19.2 | 0.98 |
| Stomach | 6.8 | 3.5 | 1.94 |
| 5-year mortality among females, age-adjusted rate per 100,000 population, 2019–2023 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer | AI/AN* Females | Total Population Females | Ratio (AI/AN* / Total) |
| All Sites | 141.2 | 126.3 | 1.12 |
| Breast | 17.7 | 19.2 | 0.92 |
| Cervical | 3.0 | 2.2 | 1.36 |
| Colon & Rectum (Including Appendix) | 14.8 | 10.8 | 1.37 |
| Liver & IBD | 8.4 | 4.3 | 1.95 |
| Pancreas | 10.1 | 9.9 | 1.02 |
| Stomach | 3.8 | 2.0 | 1.90 |
| Uterus | 4.9 | 5.3 | 0.92 |
Health Care Use
| Females ages 40 and over who had a mammogram within the past 2 years, crude percentage, 2019 | ||
|---|---|---|
| AI/AN* Females | Total Population Females | Ratio (AI/AN* / Total) |
| 61.3 | 79.8 | 0.77 |
| Females aged 21 to 65 years receiving a cervical cancer screening based on the most recent guidelines, percentage, 2021 | ||
|---|---|---|
| AI/AN* Females | Total Population | Ratio (AI/AN* / Total) |
| 53.8 | 73.9 | 0.73 |
| Adults aged 45 to 75 years receiving a colorectal cancer screening based on the most recent guidelines, percentage, 2023 | ||
|---|---|---|
| AI/AN* | Total Population | Ratio (AI/AN* / Total) |
| 51.0 | 63.5 | 0.80 |
*Population is non-Hispanic in the data source.
1 SEER*Explorer: An interactive website for SEER cancer statistics. Surveillance Research Program, National Cancer Institute. (Back to top)
2 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). National Center for Health Statistics. Interactive Summary Health Statistics for Adults. (Back to top)
3 ODPHP. Healthy People 2030. Increase the proportion of adults who get screened for colorectal cancer in 2023. (Back to top)
Date Last Reviewed: January 2026