{"id":5795,"date":"2025-11-07T16:20:55","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T16:20:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tieuc\/?page_id=5795"},"modified":"2025-11-07T16:49:03","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T16:49:03","slug":"liver-cancer-trends-and-demographic-disparities","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tieuc\/dashboards\/liver-cancer-trends-and-demographic-disparities\/","title":{"rendered":"Liver Cancer Trends and Demographic Disparities"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Liver Cancer Trends and Demographic Disparities Across 24 Texas Counties (2000\u20132019)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Data Source: IHME Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Dataset<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1. Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This dashboard analyzes&nbsp;<strong>two decades (2000\u20132019)<\/strong>&nbsp;of liver cancer trends across&nbsp;<strong>24 Texas counties<\/strong>, integrating&nbsp;<strong>temporal, demographic, and geographic dimensions<\/strong>.<br>It visualizes&nbsp;<strong>differences between male and female ratios<\/strong>,&nbsp;<strong>racial disparities<\/strong>, and&nbsp;<strong>spatial patterns<\/strong>&nbsp;using data from the&nbsp;<strong>Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME)<\/strong>, enabling public health insights into the evolving burden of liver cancer within the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The visualization combines:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Temporal analysis<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2014 How rates have changed over 20 years.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Demographic comparison<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2014 How differences between male and female ratios and ethnicities influence disparities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Geospatial insight<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2014 How counties differ in incidence and ethnicity ratios.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2. Ethnicity-Based Trends (Trend by Ethnicities Panel)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Statistical Findings:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Males consistently exhibit the highest liver cancer rates<\/strong>, averaging approximately&nbsp;<strong>0.000145<\/strong>&nbsp;by 2019 \u2014 a&nbsp;<strong>45% increase<\/strong>&nbsp;since 2000.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Females<\/strong>&nbsp;show rates around&nbsp;<strong>0.000075\u20130.000080<\/strong>, rising by about&nbsp;<strong>20\u201325%<\/strong>&nbsp;over the same period.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The&nbsp;<strong>\u201cBoth\u201d<\/strong>&nbsp;category trends close to the male curve, reflecting males\u2019 higher contribution to the overall rate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Interpretation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This gap between male and female ratios aligns with established epidemiological evidence:&nbsp;<strong>men are 1.5\u20132\u00d7 more likely<\/strong>&nbsp;to develop liver cancer.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Contributing factors likely include&nbsp;<strong>higher prevalence of hepatitis infections<\/strong>,&nbsp;<strong>alcohol-related liver disease<\/strong>,&nbsp;<strong>metabolic syndrome<\/strong>, and&nbsp;<strong>occupational exposures<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The rising slope across all genders indicates a&nbsp;<strong>growing disease burden<\/strong>, despite advances in prevention and treatment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3. Ethnicity-Based Trends (Ethnicity Trends Panel)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Statistical Findings:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Latino populations<\/strong>&nbsp;have the&nbsp;<strong>highest liver cancer rates<\/strong>&nbsp;across all years, followed by&nbsp;<strong>Black<\/strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>Asian<\/strong>&nbsp;groups.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>White<\/strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>AIAN (American Indian and Alaska Native)<\/strong>&nbsp;populations exhibit the&nbsp;<strong>lowest rates<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Post-2010,&nbsp;<strong>Latino rates increase sharply<\/strong>, widening racial disparities over time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Interpretation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The pattern suggests&nbsp;<strong>socioeconomic, cultural, and access-to-care differences<\/strong>&nbsp;may contribute to these disparities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Latino communities<\/strong>&nbsp;face higher exposure to metabolic, infectious, and lifestyle-related risk factors, while also experiencing barriers to early diagnosis.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The relatively lower rates among&nbsp;<strong>White<\/strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>AIAN (American Indian and Alaska Native)<\/strong>&nbsp;groups could reflect differences in population size, healthcare access, and screening prevalence.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>4. Geographic Disparities (Male:Female Disparity Map)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Statistical Findings:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The&nbsp;<strong>Male:Female Rate Ratio<\/strong>&nbsp;ranges from&nbsp;<strong>~1.3 to ~2.2<\/strong>&nbsp;across counties.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Highest disparities<\/strong>&nbsp;occur in:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Dallas (2.14)<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Navarro (2.11)<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Kaufman (2.03)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lower disparities<\/strong>&nbsp;appear in:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Comanche (1.35)<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Jack (1.56)<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Stephens (1.60)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Urban and semi-urban counties<\/strong>&nbsp;(Dallas, Tarrant, Ellis, Navarro) exhibit&nbsp;<strong>stronger male predominance<\/strong>&nbsp;compared to rural counties.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Interpretation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The geographic clustering implies potential&nbsp;<strong>environmental<\/strong>,&nbsp;<strong>behavioral<\/strong>, or&nbsp;<strong>socioeconomic risk differences<\/strong>&nbsp;across regions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Counties with greater male-female gaps may have&nbsp;<strong>more pronounced occupational or lifestyle risk factors<\/strong>&nbsp;among men, whereas lower ratios may suggest&nbsp;<strong>more impartial access to preventive care<\/strong>&nbsp;or differing exposure patterns.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>5. County-Level Comparisons<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Statistical Findings:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Average rates across all counties:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Male:<\/strong>&nbsp;~0.000106<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Female:<\/strong>&nbsp;~0.000059<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Both:<\/strong>&nbsp;~0.000079<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Males have rates&nbsp;<strong>approximately 1.8\u00d7 higher<\/strong>&nbsp;than females, consistent with the map\u2019s findings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Interpretation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The quantitative difference between genders confirms a&nbsp;<strong>systematic and statistically significant disparity<\/strong>&nbsp;across all counties.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This gap underscores the need for&nbsp;<strong>public health strategies<\/strong> <strong>sensitive to the differences between males and females<\/strong>&nbsp;and awareness campaigns targeting male populations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>6. Temporal Statistical Patterns<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Findings:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>From 2000 to 2019, liver cancer rates&nbsp;<strong>increased by 40\u201345% overall<\/strong>, with the sharpest rise occurring&nbsp;<strong>after 2010<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Year-over-year growth averages:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Males:<\/strong>&nbsp;+2.1% per year<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Females:<\/strong>&nbsp;+1.1% per year<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The&nbsp;<strong>average Male:Female ratio<\/strong>&nbsp;across all counties:&nbsp;<strong>~1.74 \u00b1 0.25 (SD)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Interpretation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The steepening trends indicate both&nbsp;<strong>rising incidence<\/strong>&nbsp;and possibly&nbsp;<strong>improved detection<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Male increases are more pronounced, suggesting ongoing&nbsp;<strong>specific risk exposures<\/strong> <strong>sensitive to the differences between males and females<\/strong>&nbsp;or differential screening uptake.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>7. Demographic Insights<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><th>Dimension<\/th><th>Key Finding<\/th><th>Interpretation<\/th><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Male versus Female Ratio<\/strong><\/td><td>Males exhibit 1.7\u20132.2\u00d7 higher liver cancer rates than females<\/td><td>Reflects biological, behavioral, and environmental risk factors among men<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Ethnicity<\/strong><\/td><td>Latino and Black populations show the highest rates; White and AIAN (American Indian and Alaska Native) the lowest<\/td><td>Suggests racial and ethnic disparities in exposure, socioeconomic conditions, and healthcare access<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Geography<\/strong><\/td><td>Urban counties (Dallas\u2013Tarrant region) show higher rates and steeper growth<\/td><td>Indicates concentration of risk factors and population density effects<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Time<\/strong><\/td><td>45% increase in 20 years, sharper after 2010<\/td><td>Suggests growing burden despite medical advances<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>8. Epidemiological Interpretation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The persistent&nbsp;<strong>male predominance<\/strong>&nbsp;is consistent with&nbsp;<strong>hormonal, metabolic, and behavioral explanations<\/strong>&nbsp;supported by prior global studies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The&nbsp;<strong>racial disparities<\/strong>&nbsp;emphasize systemic inequities in&nbsp;<strong>screening, healthcare access, and prevention programs<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Urban counties<\/strong>&nbsp;(Dallas, Tarrant, Navarro) likely reflect&nbsp;<strong>population concentration, healthcare utilization, and lifestyle risk clustering<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The&nbsp;<strong>steady upward trend<\/strong>&nbsp;since 2010 points toward increasing incidence from&nbsp;<strong>non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)<\/strong>, now a major contributor to liver cancer risk in the U.S.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>9. Statistical Summary Table<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><th>Metric<\/th><th>Value<\/th><th>Interpretation<\/th><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Mean Rate (Both)<\/strong><\/td><td>0.000079<\/td><td>Overall average across all counties<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Mean Male Rate<\/strong><\/td><td>0.000106<\/td><td>33% higher than combined average<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Mean Female Rate<\/strong><\/td><td>0.000059<\/td><td>45% lower than male rate<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Male:Female Ratio (Avg)<\/strong><\/td><td>1.74 \u00b1 0.25<\/td><td>Consistent disparity between male and female ratios<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Range of Ratios (Counties)<\/strong><\/td><td>1.3 \u2013 2.2<\/td><td>Spatial variability in gap between male and female ratios<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>YoY Growth (2000\u20132019)<\/strong><\/td><td>+2.1% males \/ +1.1% females<\/td><td>Rising trends over time<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Highest Ethnicity Rate<\/strong><\/td><td>Latino<\/td><td>Highest burden group<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Lowest Ethnicity Rate<\/strong><\/td><td>AIAN (American Indian and Alaska Native)<\/td><td>Lowest observed rate<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>10. Public Health Implications<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This analysis reveals a&nbsp;<strong>clear, persistent, and widening demographic disparity<\/strong>&nbsp;in liver cancer across Texas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Men<\/strong>&nbsp;bear a disproportionate burden \u2014 requiring&nbsp;<strong>targeted screening for males versus females<\/strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>behavioral risk interventions<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Latino and Black populations<\/strong>&nbsp;face the steepest increases \u2014 calling for&nbsp;<strong>culturally tailored prevention efforts<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Urban counties<\/strong>&nbsp;are focal points of higher risk \u2014 suggesting localized resource allocation for awareness, vaccination, and liver health programs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The 20-year increase indicates&nbsp;<strong>progressive disease escalation<\/strong>, not stabilization, necessitating&nbsp;<strong>enhanced surveillance and public health engagement<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>11. Summary Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Over two decades, liver cancer rates across 24 Texas counties have risen steadily, with&nbsp;<strong>males experiencing rates nearly twice those of females<\/strong>.<br><strong>Latino and Black populations<\/strong>&nbsp;show the highest risk levels, while&nbsp;<strong>AIAN (American Indian and Alaska Native)<\/strong>&nbsp;and White populations maintain the lowest.<br>The&nbsp;<strong>urban corridor of Dallas\u2013Tarrant\u2013Navarro<\/strong> exhibits both the&nbsp;<strong>highest rates and greatest disparity between males and females<\/strong>, signaling concentrated risk zones.<br>These findings underscore an urgent need for&nbsp;<strong>demographically focused prevention strategies<\/strong>, impartial healthcare access, and region-specific interventions to reduce liver cancer disparities in Texas.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class='tableauPlaceholder' id='viz1762533732276' style='position: relative'><noscript><a href='#'><img alt='Dashboard 3 ' src='https:&#47;&#47;public.tableau.com&#47;static&#47;images&#47;FN&#47;FN7CXK8BR&#47;1_rss.png' style='border: none' \/><\/a><\/noscript><object class='tableauViz'  style='display:none;'><param name='host_url' value='https%3A%2F%2Fpublic.tableau.com%2F' \/> <param name='embed_code_version' value='3' \/> <param name='path' value='shared&#47;FN7CXK8BR' \/> <param name='toolbar' value='yes' \/><param name='static_image' value='https:&#47;&#47;public.tableau.com&#47;static&#47;images&#47;FN&#47;FN7CXK8BR&#47;1.png' \/> <param name='animate_transition' value='yes' \/><param name='display_static_image' value='yes' \/><param name='display_spinner' value='yes' \/><param name='display_overlay' value='yes' \/><param name='display_count' value='yes' \/><param name='language' value='en-US' \/><\/object><\/div>                <script type='text\/javascript'>                    var divElement = document.getElementById('viz1762533732276');                    var vizElement = divElement.getElementsByTagName('object')[0];                    if ( divElement.offsetWidth > 800 ) { vizElement.style.width='100%';vizElement.style.height=(divElement.offsetWidth*0.75)+'px';} else if ( divElement.offsetWidth > 500 ) { vizElement.style.width='100%';vizElement.style.height=(divElement.offsetWidth*0.75)+'px';} else { vizElement.style.width='100%';vizElement.style.height='1477px';}                     var scriptElement = document.createElement('script');                    scriptElement.src = 'https:\/\/public.tableau.com\/javascripts\/api\/viz_v1.js';                    vizElement.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, vizElement);                <\/script>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Liver Cancer Trends and Demographic Disparities Across 24 Texas Counties (2000\u20132019) Data Source: IHME Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Dataset 1. Overview This dashboard analyzes&nbsp;two decades (2000\u20132019)&nbsp;of liver cancer trends &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":689,"featured_media":0,"parent":3625,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-fullwidth.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5795","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"coauthors":[],"author_meta":{"author_link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tieuc\/author\/bkurdle\/","display_name":"Webmaster"},"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 5 months ago","modified":"Updated 5 months ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on November 7, 2025","modified":"Updated on November 7, 2025"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on November 7, 2025 4:20 pm","modified":"Updated on November 7, 2025 4:49 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","featured_img":false,"series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tieuc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5795","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tieuc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tieuc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tieuc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/689"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tieuc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5795"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tieuc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5795\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5802,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tieuc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5795\/revisions\/5802"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tieuc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3625"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tieuc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5795"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}