ArticleMedicine2026
Trends in mortality from cancer and sepsis in the United States, 1999 to 2023: An analysis of CDC WONDER data.
Article in Medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the United States (U.S.), with increasing incidence among younger adults. Sepsis, a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by infection, frequently complicates cancer due to disease-related and treatment-induced immunosuppression. Understanding cancer-sepsis mortality trends is essential for identifying high-risk populations and improving prevention and clinical management strategies. We analyzed U.S. mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research Multiple Cause of Death database to identify deaths among adults aged ≥ 25 years in which both cancer (International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision C00-D48) and sepsis (International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision A41) were listed on the same death certificate, representing concomitant cancer-sepsis mortality. Age-adjusted mortality rates per 100,000 population were calculated and temporal trends were assessed using Joinpoint regression. Statistical significance was set at P < .05. From 1999 to 2023, a total of 20,108,555 U.S. adults aged 25+ died from cancer complicated by sepsis. From 1999 to 2023, the average annual percentage change (AAPC) decreased by 1.09% (95% confidence interval, -1.33--0.84%). Rates fell from 417.6 per 100,000 in 1999 to 322.0 in 2023, showing a steady decline until 2018 (annual percent change [APC]: -1.32%), a brief rise from 2018 to 2021 (APC: 2.17%), and a significant drop from 2021 to 2023 (APC: -3.65%). Mortality was highest in men (AAPC: -1.33%) and Black or African American individuals (AAPC: -1.68%), as well as in nonmetropolitan areas (AAPC: -0.60%) and the Southern U.S. (AAPC: -1.02%). Most age groups experienced significant declines, particularly middle-aged adults, while the youngest (25-34) and oldest (85+) age groups showed minimal long-term change. All racial and ethnic groups showed improvement, although American Indian or Alaska Native trends remained largely flat until a notable decline (APC: -8.26% from 2021 to 2023). Most deaths occurred in hospitals (38%) or at home (35%), with fewer in nursing homes, hospices, or other settings. Concomitant cancer-sepsis mortality declined overall in the U.S. from 1999 to 2023, but substantial disparities persist by sex, race/ethnicity, geography, and urbanization, reflecting inequities in access to oncology care, critical care, and timely sepsis management.
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