Overview of Karmanos Cancer Institute Catchment Area (KCI-CA)

Overview of Karmanos Cancer Institute Catchment Area (KCI-CA)

One of the responsibilities of Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) and the Office of Cancer Health Equity and Community Engagement (OCHECE) at Karmanos Cancer Institute (KCI) is to monitor cancer burden, disparities, and needs throughout the KCI catchment area. This page is intended provide our KCI and Wayne State University faculty, scientists, trainees, and community partners critical descriptive information about cancer in the communities we serve.

We have expanded the way in which catchment area data can be visualized through the Cancer InFocus program.

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Catchment Area Overview

Karmanos Cancer Institute (KCI) has a long and distinguished history as an NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center serving the state of Michigan. In 2014, KCI affiliated with McLaren Health Care and there are now 15 sites serving a catchment area covering 46 of Michigan’s 83 counties. The catchment area is now defined as the 46-county area that is home to 95% of our patients; KCI sees one-third of all new cancer patients in the catchment area.

The KCI catchment area is home to 6.7 million residents, a population greater than that of 33 U.S. states. The catchment area is diverse across a range of characteristics. To better describe and address this diversity, the catchment area is divided into five regions, informed by the Community Health Assessment Regions defined by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), plus the city of Detroit.

The Southeast region includes the city of Detroit. According to U.S. Census 2023 estimates, Detroit is the largest city in the state, with 633,218 residents. Detroit is a resource-challenged area, with a median household income of $37,761 and 31.5% of residents living in poverty compared to 13.4% in the state of Michigan. Almost 60% of the census tracts in Detroit are categorized as persistent poverty census tracts (PPCTs). The National Cancer Institute (NCI) defines PPCTs as areas wherein 20% or more of the population has been below the federal poverty line since 1990 (click here for census tracts in persistent poverty).

Another population with a strong presence in the Southeast region are individuals of Middle Eastern and North African descent who are not yet recognized by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as a racial or ethnic group. It is important to note that because of this, there is no nationally coordinated cancer-related surveillance of this group. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, Michigan has the second largest number of MENA residents (310,087), following California. The Census reports 139,751 MENA residents in Wayne County, located in the Southeast region of the catchment area. This represents 45% of the state’s MENA population. In Wayne County, home to the cities of Detroit and Dearborn, 7.8% of residents identified as MENA alone or in any combination, the highest percentage of any U.S. County.

Data on MENA populations within the KCI catchment area that are consistent with more recent U.S. Census definitions are forthcoming. However, below are data on Arab ancestry population within the catchment area.

Beyond the Southeast region, the KCI catchment area is also characterized by a high proportion of rural (i.e., non-metropolitan) residents.

Across the total population, sexual and gender minorities (SGMs) are represented (hereafter referred to as LGBT+). The Williams Institute reports that 311,000 LGBT+ adults live in Michigan and 61,000 youth, representing about 3.7% of the state’s population. This report cites 2015-2017 Gallup poll data indicating that, compared to non-LGBT+ individuals, LGBT+ adults have lower household incomes, high unemployment rates, are more food insecure.

Overall Cancer Incidence & Mortality

The graph below presents rates of overall cancer incidence (new cases of cancer) and cancer mortality (cancer deaths) across the KCI catchment area.

Incidence and Mortality, Select Cancer Sites

The graph below presents incidence rates of 14 different cancers across KCI catchment area.

The graph below presents mortality rates of the same 14 cancers across KCI catchment area.

Overall Cancer Incidence and Mortality Across Racial and Ethnic Groups

The graph below shows overall cancer incidence across different racial and ethnic groups across the catchment area.

The next graph below shows overall cancer mortality across different racial and ethnic groups across the catchment area.

Black-White Differences Across Select Cancers

The following figure presents Black-White differences in select cancers in Detroit and the catchment area.

KCI Catchment Area Cancer Statistics in Detail

The following table presents incidence and mortality rates across region, race, and ethnicity with confidence intervals.

Cancer Risk Factors

The following graph presents the distribution of social and behavioral risk factors across the KCI catchment area.

HPV Vaccination

HPV vaccination rates across the entire KCI catchment area fall well below the Healthy People 2030 goal of 80%.

This data was last updated on September 21, 2024.