Background: Nearly 2 million new cancer cases and over half a million cancer deaths in the USA were reported in 2024. Still there remains a paucity of data on cancer-cachexia-related mortality.
Methods: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER) database was utilised to identify cases where both cachexia and cancer were listed as either contributory or underlying causes of death between 1999 and 2020.
Results: Between 1999 and 2020, there were 64,106 deaths related to cancer and cachexia among adults aged ≥55 years. Overall, a declining trend has been identified from 1999 to 2019. Black patients had 1.4 times higher mortality than White patients. Rural dwellers had higher mortality than urban adults. Lastly, states with age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMR) in the 90th percentile (California, South Carolina, Utah, Georgia, Alaska and New Hampshire) displayed approximately five-fold higher AAMR than states in the bottom 10th percentile.
Conclusion: Tailored public health strategies for healthcare access and risk factor management are needed to address these disparities.
Keywords: Cachexia; Cancer outcomes; Future health policies; Public health; Racial disparities; Trends in mortality.
© 2025 The Author(s).