Abstract Background Both lung cancer and diabetes are the leading causes of death worldwide. These two conditions commonly coexist, especially in older patients, and result in worsening of prognosis and lower survival rates. Very limited scientific data are available about their correlation. Studying the mortality trends using data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-Ranging Online Data of Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER) can help us in designing better health policies and treatment strategies. Methods We analyzed the US mortality data from 1999 to 2023 using the CDC WONDER dataset. The ICD-10 codes were used. For lung cancer, it is C34, and for diabetes, they are E10-14. Temporal trends were analyzed by using joinpoint regression (V5.4.0) and a p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results From 1999 to 2023, a total of 174,418 deaths were reported in the United States. Most of them occurred at home (39.6%), followed by medical facilities (33.8%). Men had mortality rates approximately twice as high as those of women. Non-Hispanic Black individuals had age adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) approximately 2 to 3 times higher than other racial groups, peaking at 5.28 in 2005, followed by NH White, NH Other, and Hispanic or Latino, respectively. Rural areas consistently exhibited higher mortality rates. The highest AAMR was found in Kentucky (5.70), followed by West Virginia (5.24) and Oklahoma (4.94). The Southern states had a higher mortality burden. Conclusion The rate of mortality due to lung cancer in diabetics continued to rise, with significant disparities. The research emphasizes the need for smoking cessation strategies, integrated care of diabetes and oncology, and equitable health care access to reduce the disparities. Graphical Abstract
Shahab et al. (Sat,) studied this question.