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Community Outreach and Engagement
Catchment Area Data
Catchment Area is a term used by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to indicate the defined geographic area in which the cancer center focuses its research, education and outreach efforts. The University of Kansas Cancer Center’s catchment area includes the entire state of Kansas and 18 counties in western Missouri. Below is a map that shows the KU Cancer Center catchment area. The county colors demonstrate counties along the rural urban continuum code (RUCC). Codes 1-3 are considered urban and 4-9 are considered rural.
To better understand the cancer burden in our region, the cancer center created Organize and Prioritize Trends to Inform KU Cancer Center (OPTIK), a streamlined data platform that synthesizes information on demographics, cancer risk factors and incidence and mortality rates in Kansas and Missouri. OPTIK plays a crucial role in standardizing diverse data sources, providing a holistic view of the cancer burden in our region. Below are some statistics about KU Cancer Center’s catchment area.
The cancers that are most frequently diagnosed in the cancer center’s catchment area are:
- Breast
- Prostate
- Lung and Bronchus
- Colorectal
- Melanoma
The most frequent cancers by mortality in the cancer center’s catchment area are:
- Lung and Bronchus
- Breast
- Prostate
- Colorectal
- Pancreas
We see differences in how populations are impacted by cancer. We have noted the following disparities in outcomes by specific populations in the KU Cancer Center catchment area:
Mortality disparities (2016-2020)
Black vs. white patients
- Prostate Cancer: Black patients are 70% more likely to die (1.7x more likely)
- Stomach Cancer: Black patients are 70% more likely to die (1.7x more likely)
- Pancreatic Cancer: Black patients are 50% more likely to die (1.5x more likely)
- Liver Cancer: Black patients are 40% more likely to die (1.4x more likely)
- Colorectal Cancer: Black patients are 20% more likely to die (1.2x more likely)
- Breast Cancer: Black patients are 20% more likely to die (1.2x more likely)
Hispanic vs. non-Hispanic patients
- Stomach Cancer: Hispanic patients are 160% more likely to die (2.6x more likely)
- Liver Cancer: Hispanic patients are 80% more likely to die (1.8x more likely)
- Kidney Cancer: Hispanic patients are 50% more likely to die (1.5x more likely)
- Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Hispanic patients are 40% more likely to die (1.4x more likely)
Rural vs. urban patients
- Colorectal Cancer: Rural patients are 30% more likely to die (1.3x more likely)
- Melanoma: Rural patients are 20% more likely to die (1.2x more likely)
- Esophageal Cancer: Rural patients are 10% more likely to die (1.1x more likely)
- Lung Cancer: Rural patients are 10% more likely to die (1.1x more likely)
- Bladder Cancer: Rural patients are 20% more likely to die (1.2x more likely)
Cancer mortality across our catchment area is visualized below.
Cancer mortality by county
Obesity map by county
Smoking use map by county
To learn more about KU Cancer Center's catchment area, visit KU Cancer Center’s Cancer InFocus resource. For more information on the Organize and Prioritize Trends to Inform KU Cancer Center (OPTIK) data platform, contact the OPTIK team by submitting your request at this link.