Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders face dramatically higher risks for certain types of cancer compared to White Americans, according to a new report from the American Cancer Society.
The report highlights significant racial disparities in cancer rates and outcomes. For Chinese, Filipino, Korean and Vietnamese people in the U.S., cancer is the leading cause of death. It ranks second for Asian Indian, Native Hawaiian and Japanese people.
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander groups face particularly stark disparities. They are 75% more likely to die from liver cancer and two to three times more likely to die from cervical, stomach and endometrial cancers compared to White people.
While Asian Americans overall have a 40% lower cancer death rate than White people, they experience nearly 40% higher liver cancer mortality and twice the stomach cancer mortality.
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer for women across all Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander ethnic groups studied.
“Although disaggregated data are still extremely limited, we hope that these startling disparities will spur local communities and health care providers to increase awareness of cancer symptoms and opportunities for cancer prevention and early detection through screening,” said Rebecca Siegel, senior scientific director of surveillance research at the American Cancer Society.
The report calls for better understanding of these disparities and increased efforts toward cancer prevention and early detection in these underserved communities.
See “AANHPI groups suffer higher risks for certain cancers: report” (May 3, 2024)
