Cancer and Asian Americans

Asian Americans generally have lower cancer rates than the total population. However, health gaps still exist within certain types of cancer.1

From 2019-2023,2
- Death rates for stomach cancer in Asian/Pacific Islander males exceeded the total male population by 49%.
- Asian/Pacific Islander females died from liver and IBD cancer and from stomach cancer at rates 21% and 65% higher, respectively, than females in the total population.
In 2022, Asian/Pacific Islanders, both male and female, had rates of new liver and intrahepatic bile duct (IBD) cancer that were 19% higher than those in their respective total populations.

Visit MedlinePlus for more health information about Cancer and Living with Cancer in multiple Asian languages.

Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute for information about cancer screening.

Looking for curated searches on cancer within minority and tribal populations, including Asian American populations, in the United States and its territories? Check out the OMH Knowledge Center Topic Guides.

Occurrence

Cancer among adults ages 18 and over, age-adjusted percentage, 2024
Cancer	Asian	Total Population	Ratio (Asian / Total)
All Sites	5.1	10.3	0.50
Breast	1.3	1.8	0.72
Cervical (Females)	0.2	0.7	0.29
Prostate (Males)	2.0	2.6	0.77
Any skin	0.2	3.6	0.06

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. (2025). Interactive summary health statistics for adults: Percentage of any type of cancer for adults aged 18 and over; United States, 2024; Percentage of breast cancer for adults aged 18 and over, United States, 2024; Percentage of cervical cancer for women aged 18 and over, United States, 2024. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Top Cancer Sites

Cancer incidence among males, delay-adjusted and age-adjusted rate per 100,000 population, 2022
Cancer	Asian/Pacific Islander* Males	Total Population Males	Ratio (Asian/Pacific Islander* / Total)
All Sites	328.3	500.3	0.66
Colon & Rectum (Including Appendix)	38.3	43.5	0.88
Esophagus	4.1	7.3	0.56
Kidney	11.7	23.6	0.50
Liver & Intrahepatic Bile Duct (IBD)	16.6	13.9	1.19
Lung	41.2	51.0	0.81
Oral Cavity & Pharynx	12.3	17.9	0.69
Pancreas	12.1	15.9	0.76
Prostate	77.2	133.6	0.58
Stomach	12.3	9.6	1.28

Source: National Institues of Health, National Cancer Institute. (2025). SEER 5-year age-adjusted incidence rates, 2018-2022: All stages by cancer site and race/ethnicity, male, all ages. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Cancer incidence among females, delay-adjusted and age-adjusted rate per 100,000 population, 2022
Cancer	Asian/Pacific Islander* Females	Total Population Females	Ratio (Asian/Pacific Islander / Total)
All Sites	349.0	441.7	0.79
Breast	126.9	136.5	0.93
Cervical	5.8	7.8	0.74
Colon & Rectum (Including Appendix)	27.1	34.0	0.80
Kidney	5.3	12.0	0.44
Liver & Intrahepatic Bile Duct (IBD)	6.9	5.8	1.19
Lung	28.5	43.7	0.65
Pancreas	9.9	12.7	0.78
Stomach	7.6	6.5	1.17
Uterus	24.7	29.2	0.85

Source: National Institues of Health, National Cancer Institute. (2025). SEER 5-year age-adjusted incidence rates, 2018-2022: All stages by cancer site and race/ethnicity, female, all ages. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Five-Year Survival Rates

5-year survival rate among males, percentage, 2015–2021
Cancer	Asian/Pacific Islander* Males	Total Population Males	Ratio (Asian/Pacific Islander* / Total)
All Sites	62.2	68.7	0.91
Colon & Rectum (Including Appendix)	66.9	64.5	1.04
Kidney	79.3	78.8	1.01
Liver & IBD	31.2	21.7	1.44
Lung	29.3	23.8	1.23
Pancreas	14.6	13.1	1.11
Prostate	93.8	98.6	0.95
Stomach	42.9	34.2	1.25

Source: National Institues of Health, National Cancer Institute. (2025). SEER 5-rear relative survival rates, 2015-2021: All stages by cancer site and race/ethnicity, male, all ages. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

5-year survival rate among females, percentage, 2015–2021
Cancer	Asian/Pacific Islander* Females	Total Population Females	Ratio (Asian/Pacific Islander* / Total)
All Sites	73.3	71.2	1.03
Breast	92.3	91.7	1.01
Cervical	70.9	68.0	1.04
Colon & Rectum (Including Appendix)	66.9	66.4	1.01
Kidney	80.0	81.4	0.98
Liver & IBD	28.2	22.8	1.24
Lung	40.1	32.6	1.23
Pancreas	15.5	13.5	1.15
Stomach	42.0	43.2	0.97
Uterus	82.3	81.1	1.01

Source: National Institues of Health, National Cancer Institute. (2025). SEER 5-year relative survival rates, 2015-2021: All stages by cancer site and race/ethnicity, female, all ages. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Mortality

5-year mortality among males, age-adjusted rate per 100,000 population, 2019–2023
Cancer	Asian/Pacific Islander* Males	Total Population Males	Ratio (Asian/Pacific Islander / Total)
All Sites	107.1	171.5	0.62
Colon & Rectum (Including Appendix)	10.9	15.3	0.71
Liver & IBD	11.4	9.4	1.21
Lung	23.4	37.2	0.63
Pancreas	8.4	12.9	0.65
Prostate	8.8	19.2	0.46
Stomach	5.2	3.5	1.49

Source: National Institues of Health, National Cancer Institute. (2025). U.S. 5-year age-adjusted mortality rates, 2019-2023: By cancer site and race/ethnicity, male, all ages. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

5-year mortality among females, age-adjusted rate per 100,000 population, 2019–2023
Cancer	Asian/Pacific Islander* Females	Total Population Females	Ratio (Asian/Pacific Islander* / Total)
All Sites	83.1	126.3	0.66
Breast	11.8	19.2	0.61
Cervical	1.6	2.2	0.73
Colon & Rectum (Including Appendix)	7.8	10.8	0.72
Liver & IBD	5.2	4.3	1.21
Pancreas	7.2	9.9	0.73
Stomach	3.3	2.0	1.65
Uterus	3.8	5.3	0.72

Source: National Institues of Health, National Cancer Institute. (2025). U.S. 5-year age-adjusted mortality rates, 2019-2023: By cancer site and race/ethnicity, female, all ages. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Health Care Use

Females ages 40 and over who had a mammogram within the past 2 years, crude percentage, 2019
Asian* Females	Total Population Females	Ratio (Asian* / Total)
63.7	79.8	0.80

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. (2023). Health, United States 2020-2021 (Table CanBrTest). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Females aged 21 to 65 years receiving a cervical cancer screening based on the most recent guidelines, percentage, 2021
Asian* Females	Total Population Females	Ratio (Asian* / Total)
62.7	73.9	0.85

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. (2025). National Health Interview Survey, Healthy People 2030: Increase the proportion of females who get screened for cervical cancer in 2021. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Adults aged 45 to 75 years receiving a colorectal cancer screening based on the most recent guidelines, percentage, 2023
Asian*	Total Population	Ratio (Asian* / Total)
57.0	63.5	0.90

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. (2025). National Health Interview Survey, Healthy People 2030: Adults receiving colorectal cancer screening based on the most recent guidelines, 2023. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

*Population is non-Hispanic in the data source.

1 SEER*Explorer: An interactive website for SEER cancer statistics. Surveillance Research Program, National Cancer Institute; 2024 Apr 17. (Back to top)

2 SEER*Explorer: An interactive website for SEER cancer statistics. Surveillance Research Program, National Cancer Institute; 2024 Apr 17. (Back to top)

Date Last Reviewed: January 2026