Describing international and ethnic patterns of cancer incidence is useful for generating hypotheses of etiological significance. U.S. Asian subgroups in particular exhibit great heterogeneity in cancer exposures through their unique immigration experiences. This study examines disparities in breast and cervical cancer incidence worldwide and draws ethnic comparisons within the U.S. in the context of immigration history for five Asian subgroups: Chinese, Japanese, Filipinos, Koreans, and Vietnamese. Average annual age-adjusted rates were computed using data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program, California Cancer Registry, and International Agency for Research on Cancer during the period 1986-1993. Breast cancer incidence rates were considerably higher among Asians in the U.S. than in Asia. U.S. Japanese experienced the highest rate of breast cancer (70.8 per 100,000) which was twice that of U.S. Koreans and Vietnamese. In contrast, cervical cancer incidence in the U.S. was approximately half that in Asia, except for Vietnamese, whose rates were more than 6 times greater in the U.S. than in Hanoi, and for Chinese, whose rates were twice as high in the U.S. as in China. These findings are paralleled by patterns of immigration to the U.S.; U.S. subgroups with "older" immigration history, such as Chinese and Japanese, have incidence rates closer to those of U.S. non-Hispanic whites than more recently immigrated subgroups such as Koreans and Vietnamese, suggesting potentially modifiable risk factors. International and ethnic patterns may reflect variation in risk factors related to migration and feed-forward further research to elucidate the etiologies of these cancers. See www.nccc.org
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be able to: (1) describe international and ethnic patterns of breast and cervical cancer incidence among Asian subgroups in the U.S. and Asia and (2) understand the incidence data in the context of immigration history.
Keywords: Asian Women, Cancer
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.