Cancer and Hispanic/Latino Americans

Hispanic/Latino American males and females generally have lower cancer rates than the total population. However, health gaps still exist within certain types of cancer.1

From 2018-2022:2

Hispanic/Latino males were nearly 40% less frequently diagnosed with oral cavity and pharynx cancer than males from the total population.
Hispanic/Latino females had similar diagnosis rates for pancreatic cancer as the total female population.

From 2019-2023, both Hispanic/Latino males and females died from stomach cancer at a rate that exceeded their peers from the total population by 54% and 85%, respectively.3

Visit MedlinePlus for more health information about Cancer and Living with Cancer in Spanish.

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 Hispanic/Latino populations, in the United States and its territories? Check out the OMH Knowledge Center Topic Guides.

Diagnosis

Age-adjusted percentages of cancer among adults ages 18 and over, 2023
Cancer	Hispanic	Total Population	Hispanic / Total Population Ratio
All Sites	3.9	10.3	0.38
Breast	0.8	1.8	0.44
Cervical (Female)	0.4	0.7	0.57
Prostate (Males)	0.9	2.6	0.35

Source: NCHS 2022. National Health Interview Survey. Interactive Summary Health Statistics for Adults – 2022. [Accessed 6/24/2024]
https://wwwn.cdc.gov/NHISDataQueryTool/SHS_adult/index.html

Top cancer sites for Hispanics (2018-2022)

Cancer Incidence Rates per 100,000 – Males
Cancer	Hispanic Males	Total Population Males	Hispanic / Total Population Ratio
All Sites	398.5	441.7	0.90
Colon & Rectum	38.8	40.6	0.96
Esophagus	4.9	7.3	0.67
Kidney	25.6	23.6	1.08
Liver & IBD*	21.0	13.9	1.51
Lung	29.7	51.0	0.58
Oral Cavity & Pharynx	10.7	17.9	0.60
Pancreas	14.1	15.9	0.89
Prostate	102.4	133.6	0.77
Stomach	12.4	9.6	1.29
*IBD = Intrahepatic Bile Duct

Source: SEER*Explorer: An interactive website for SEER cancer statistics [Internet]. Surveillance Research Program, National Cancer Institute; 2025 Apr 16 [Accessed 6/24/2025]. https://seer.cancer.gov/statistics-network/explorer/

Cancer Incidence Rates per 100,000 – Females
Cancer	Hispanic Female	Total Population Female	Hispanic / Total Population Ratio
All Sites	392.7	500.3	0.78
Breast	114.1	136.5	0.84
Cervical	10.4	7.8	1.33
Colon & Rectum	28.3	30.9	0.92
Kidney	14.8	12.0	1.23
Liver & IBD	10.0	5.8	1.72
Lung	24.2	43.7	0.55
Pancreas	12.8	12.7	1.01
Stomach	9.7	6.5	1.49
Uterus	30.0	29.2	1.03

5-year survival rate

Percent of Patients – Males (2015-2021)
Cancer	Hispanic	Total Population Male	Hispanic / Total Population Ratio
All Sites	64.1	68.7	0.93
Colon & Rectum	62.2	63.9	0.97
Kidney	76.1	78.8	0.97
Liver & IBD	20.4	21.7	0.94
Lung	20.8	23.8	0.87
Pancreas	12.7	13.1	0.97
Prostate	94.2	97.9	0.96
Stomach	30.2	34.2	0.88

Percent of Patients – Female (2015-2021)
Cancer	Hispanic	Total Population	Hispanic / Total Population Ratio
All Sites	70.9	71.2	1.00
Breast	89.0	91.7	0.97
Cervical	70.5	68.0	1.04
Colon & Rectum	65.7	65.4	1.00
Kidney	82.3	81.4	1.01
Liver & IBD	21.9	22.8	0.96
Lung	32.7	32.6	1.00
Pancreas	16.0	13.5	1.19
Stomach	38.1	43.2	0.88
Uterus	80.5	81.1	0.99

Source: SEER*Explorer: An interactive website for SEER cancer statistics [Internet]. Surveillance Research Program, National Cancer Institute; 2024 Apr 17 [Accessed 6/24/2024]. https://seer.cancer.gov/statistics-network/explorer/

Death rates

Cancer 5-Year Age-Adjusted Mortality Rates per 100,000 – Males (2019-2023)
Cancer	Hispanic Males	Total Population Males	Hispanic / Total Population Ratio
All Sites	124.4	171.5	0.73
Colon & Rectum	13.2	15.3	0.86
Liver & IBD	12.2	13.9	0.88
Lung	18.7	37.2	0.50
Pancreas	9.6	12.9	0.74
Prostate	15.4	19.2	0.80
Stomach	5.4	3.5	1.54

Cancer Death Rates per 100,000 – Female (2019-2023)
Cancer	Hispanic Female	Total Population Female	Hispanic / Total Population Ratio
All Sites	93.2	126.3	0.74
Breast	13.6	19.2	0.71
Cervical	2.3	2.2	1.05
Colon & Rectum	8.6	10.8	0.80
Liver & IBD	6.1	4.3	1.42
Pancreas	8.2	9.9	0.83
Stomach	3.7	2.0	1.85
Uterus	4.5	5.3	0.85

Screening

Breast cancer

Females aged 40 and over who had a mammogram within the past 2 years, percentage, 2019 (crude)
Hispanic Female	Total Population Female	Hispanic / Total Population Ratio
69.4	79.8	0.87

Source: CDC 2023. Health United States, 2020-2021. Table CanBrTest.

Cervical cancer

Females aged 21 to 65 years receiving a cervical cancer screening based on the most recent guidelines, percentage, 2021
Hispanic Female	Total Population Female	Hispanic / Total Population Ratio
67.4	73.9	0.91

Source: Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP). Healthy People 2030. Increase the proportion of females who get screened for cervical cancer in 2021.

Colorectal cancer

Adults aged 45 to 75 years receiving colorectal cancer screening based on the most recent guidelines, percentage, 2023
Hispanic	Total Population	Hispanic / Total Population Ratio
54.1	63.5	0.85

Source: ODPHP. Healthy People 2030. Increase the proportion of adults who get screened for colorectal cancer in 2023.

1 SEER*Explorer: An interactive website for SEER cancer statistics [Internet]. Surveillance Research Program, National Cancer Institute; 2025 Apr 16 [Accessed 6/24/2025]. https://seer.cancer.gov/statistics-network/explorer/ (Back to top)

2 SEER*Explorer: An interactive website for SEER cancer statistics [Internet]. Surveillance Research Program, National Cancer Institute; 2025 Apr 16 [Accessed 6/24/2025]. https://seer.cancer.gov/statistics-network/explorer/ (Back to top)

3 SEER*Explorer: An interactive website for SEER cancer statistics [Internet]. Surveillance Research Program, National Cancer Institute; 2025 Apr 16 [Accessed 6/24/2025]. https://seer.cancer.gov/statistics-network/explorer/ (Back to top)

Date Last Reviewed: September 2025