Cancer mortality in Louisiana’s correctional system, 2015-2021

Cancer mortality in Louisiana’s correctional system, 2015-2021
JAMA Network Open; Totadri Dhimal, MD; Paula Cupertino, PhD; Zijing Cheng, MS; Erika E. Ramsdale, MD; Bailey K. Hilty Chu, MD; Brian J. Kaplan, MD; Andrea Armstrong, JD, MPA; Xueya Cai, PhD; Yue Li, PhD; Fergal J. Fleming, MD, MPH; Anthony Loria, MD, MSCI; 11/24
Nearly 2 million individuals are incarcerated annually in the US, predominantly low-income men from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds. The prison population is also aging, with those aged 55 years or older projected to constitute one-third of all incarcerated individuals by 2030. Imprisonment is associated with accelerated physiological aging, and national data show that incarcerated individuals have 22% higher odds of receiving a cancer diagnosis compared with the general population. Our study found that the cancer-specific mortality rate among incarcerated individuals in Louisiana was higher than the national rate but lower than the state’s, with the majority of these deaths occurring among those older than 55 years. Medical compassionate release remains an underutilized option, and the effect of providing a dignified death for families, health care professionals, incarcerated individuals, payers, and policymakers needs further evaluation.