Fresh statewide cancer data confirm what many health experts in Louisiana already feared: the state is still an outlier on lung cancer. From 2018 to 2022, only six parishes recorded lung cancer incidence rates below the U.S. average, while Louisiana as a whole landed well above it. With roughly 61 new lung cancer cases per 100,000 people each year, compared with a national rate around 52 to 53, lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death in the state.
Where the numbers come from
According to the Louisiana Tumor Registry, Louisiana’s average annual, age-adjusted lung and bronchus cancer incidence for 2018–2022 is about 61.1 cases per 100,000 people. National cancer statistics put the U.S. rate closer to the low 50s per 100,000. Parish-level tallies that underpin those comparisons are available in the registry’s public tables and in federal county-level data. The National Cancer Institute’s county tool on State Cancer Profiles shows the full parish-by-parish breakdown.
Parishes below the national average
As reported by NOLA.com, just six parishes managed to stay under the national incidence line during the 2018–2022 period: St. Charles, Lincoln, East Baton Rouge, Orleans, St. John the Baptist and Tensas. Those rankings come from the Tumor Registry’s parish-level data combined with local reporting. NOLA’s coverage includes interactive graphics that let readers stack their parish’s numbers directly against the U.S. average.
Hot spots and outliers
On the other end of the spectrum, a handful of parishes posted much higher lung cancer incidence. Evangeline Parish recorded about 88 to 89 cases per 100,000 people, East Carroll came in around 84 to 85 per 100,000, and Iberville hovered near 82 to 83 per 100,000 in the 2018–2022 data. Small parish populations can widen statistical confidence intervals, but the pattern of elevated rates across parts of rural Louisiana still stands out. The National Cancer Institute’s county tables list the full set of parish rates and case counts for the period.
What may explain the gap
Public-health researchers point to familiar culprits behind Louisiana’s outsized lung cancer burden: higher smoking rates, greater workplace and environmental exposures and persistent gaps in access to care. Another wrinkle is timing. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted screening and diagnosis in 2020, briefly pushing reported cancer numbers down in ways that make trends trickier to interpret. Peer-reviewed work, including a review in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, documents those disruptions, and federal guidance from the CDC provides added context for lung cancer statistics.
Screening efforts and the stakes
The stakes are not theoretical. National projections for 2026 expect roughly 229,410 new lung cancer cases and about 124,990 deaths, underscoring how much difference earlier detection and treatment can make. SEER/ACS provides those estimates and describes the broader trend lines. In Louisiana, local advocates and the American Lung Association have been pushing targeted screening, with the ALA running a statewide initiative and listing free events and resources for people at higher risk.
Where to look for the data
For anyone who wants to dig into the numbers, the Louisiana Tumor Registry’s data visualization tool lays it all out. Parish tables, interactive maps and documentation on methods and caveats are available through Louisiana Cancer Data Visualization, the public dashboard for the 2018–2022 figures and related materials.
