Background. Previous analyses indicated that New Mexican Hispanics and American Indians (AI) did not experience the declining colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality rates observed among non-Hispanic whites (NHW). We evaluated more recent data to determine whether racial/ethnic differences persisted. Methods. We used New Mexico Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results data from 1995 to 2009 to calculate age-specific incidence rates and age-adjusted incidence rates overall and by tumor stage. We calculated mortality rates using National Center for Health Statistics’ data. We used joinpoint regression to determine annual percentage change (APC) in age-adjusted incidence rates. Analyses were stratified by race/ethnicity and gender. Results. Incidence rates continued declining in NHW (APC ？1.45% men, ？1.06% women), while nonsignificantly increasing for AI (1.67% men, 1.26% women) and Hispanic women (0.24%). The APC initially increased in Hispanic men through 2001 (3.33%, ), before declining (？3.10%, ). Incidence rates declined in NHW and Hispanics aged 75 and older. Incidence rates for distant-stage cancer remained stable for all groups. Mortality rates declined significantly in NHW and Hispanics. Conclusions. Racial/ethnic disparities in CRC persist in New Mexico. Incidence differences could be related to risk factors or access to screening; mortality differences could be due to patterns of care for screening or treatment. 1. Introduction Colorectal cancer incidence and mortality rates have steadily declined in the United States (USA) over the past three decades [1]. The 2013 Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer estimated that from 1998 to 2009 the average annual percent change in colorectal cancer incidence declined by 2.6% in men and 2.1% in women [2]. Mortality rates also declined for both men and women by an average annual percent change of 2.9%. Declining incidence rates were observed for all racial and ethnic groups. However, the incidence and mortality declines were less for Hispanics than non-Hispanics [2]. Interpreting the national data on Hispanics is complicated because the race and ethnicity categories are not mutually exclusive and there are many distinct Hispanic subgroups. However, data from the population-based New Mexico Tumor Registry (NMTR) and a Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry are sufficiently detailed to provide mutually exclusive rates for the major population groups in the state—non-Hispanic whites, Hispanics, and American Indians [3]. Investigators analyzing New Mexico colorectal
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