Cancer InFocus: Stony Brook

Cancer InFocus: Stony Brook is a virtual data mapping application that gives users the ability to examine cancer incidence and mortality data alongside population demographics, social determinants of health, and behavioral risk factors. The map displays information for the Stony Brook Cancer Center-defined catchment area of Nassau and Suffolk Counties and can be viewed at either the county or census tract level.

We hope that this resource gives users a better understanding of the cancer burden within our catchment area. In addition to being able to create customized maps, users can download a workbook with variable definitions and citations.

Stony Brook Cancer Center (SBCC) is committed to serving our catchment area of Long Island; or more specifically, Nassau and Suffolk Counties. The term ‘catchment area’ refers to the defined geographic area in which our research, education, and community engagement efforts are focused. With 97% of SBCC patients making Nassau or Suffolk County their primary residence, Long Island is a natural fit as our catchment area and is the community within which we most specifically want to understand and address its cancer burden.

Long Island is a densely populated region spanning 2,829 square miles with a 21 mile-north and south expanse and approximately 100 mile east to west expanse. The region is home to about 2.8 million people living in a mix of highly urbanized areas and suburban clusters with the states’ largest agricultural area at the eastern end. Long Island is both socially and culturally diverse with a number of large minority groups, a significant Jewish population, as well as a rapidly aging population. 

While Long Island is often renowned for its affluence, this wealth exists in sharp contrast to very poor and lower socio-economic communities within each of the two counties. Poverty rates on Long Island rose 43% over the past decade at a rate that is twice that of NYS and the US. There are pockets of poverty spread throughout the catchment area and the pockets of areas where the majority of residents are minorities. As such, many Long Island residents live in much lower socio-economic situations and have limited primary and sub-specialty care options. This is most apparent on the east end of the Island.

A community’s ‘cancer burden’ typically refers to the local rates of cancer diagnosis (or incidence) and death (mortality) compared to similar state or national rates. It also refers to the unique risk factors experienced or observed within that community.

On Long Island, cancer is the second leading cause of death and the region bears a disproportionately high burden of cancer compared with the US (15% higher) and NY State (7% higher). There are high incidence rates for several cancers, including those where screening is recommended (breast, prostate, colon, lung) and those where it is not (pancreas, bladder, leukemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, thyroid, uterine, and childhood) cancers. Although Long Island does not have higher mortality rates for many cancers compared to US and NY State, when comparing across racial groups on Long Island, differences in mortality between racial ethnic groups reflect the racial disparities observed in the country as a whole.

The role of SBCC and the Office for Community Outreach and Engagement:
Our primary goal of reducing the cancer burden and disparities within our catchment area is defined by the unique needs and attributes of Long Island. This in turn guides the focus of research and administrative programming at SBCC. Over 80%, and growing, of the funded research at SBCC is directly focused on the top ten cancers impacting the catchment area and/or addressing specific risk factors or disparities distinct to Long Island. Education, outreach and other community engagement activities are supported and organized by SBCC’s Office for Community Outreach and Engagement and are similarly guided by the unique aspects of the catchment area. The Office for COE is dedicated to facilitating cancer research and delivering evidence-based cancer education and screening to the Long Island community.   

Many of the statistics noted above and much more can be found at the following resources. 

National:

New York State:

Other: