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Cancer and Asians/Pacific Islanders

Asian Americans generally have lower cancer rates than the non-Hispanic white population. However, disparities still exist in certain types of cancer.

  • Asian/Pacific Islander men are 40 percent less likely to have prostate cancer as white men, but they are twice as likely to have stomach cancer.
  • Although Asian/Pacific Islander women are 30 percent less likely to have breast cancer than white women, they are twice as likely to have stomach cancer.
  • Both Asian/Pacific Islander men and women have 2.1 and 2.3 times, respectively, the incidence of liver & IBD cancer as the non-Hispanic white population.
  • Asian/Pacific Islander men are twice as likely to die from stomach cancer as compared to the non-Hispanic white population, and Asian/Pacific Islander women are 2.4 times as likely to die from the same disease.

 

New Cases

New Cancer Cases per 100,000 - Men (2012)
Cancer
Asian/Pacific Islander Men
Non-Hispanic White Men
Asian/Pacific Islander/Non- Hispanic White Ratio
All Sites
314.7
489.9
0.6
Prostate
63.3
106.7
0.6
Stomach
14.8
7.8
1.9

 

New Cancer Cases per 100,000 - Women (2012)
Cancer
Asian/Pacific Islander Women
Non-Hispanic White Women
Asian/Pacific Islander/Non- Hispanic White Ratio
All Sites
308.9
433.2
0.7
Breast
103.9
136.5
0.8
Cervical
6.5
5.9
1.1
Stomach
8.7
3.9
2.2

Source:  CDC, 2016. Health United States, 2015. Table 36.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus14.pdf [PDF |13.02MB]

 

Top Cancer Sites for Asian/Pacific Islander (2009-2013)

Cancer Incidence Rates per 100,000 - Men
Cancer
Asian/PacificIslanderMen
Non-HispanicWhite Men
Asian/Pacific Islander/Non-Hispanic White Ratio
All Sites
317.3
529.2
0.6
Liver & IBD*
20.8
10.1
2.1
Stomach
14.3
8.3
1.7
Prostate
68.9
125.1
0.6

 

Cancer Incidence Rates per 100,000 - Women
Cancer
Asian/PacificIslanderWomen
Non-Hispanic White Women
Asian/Pacific Islander/Non-Hispanic White Ratio
All Sites
296.7
440.8
0.7
Liver & IBD*
7.6
3.3
2.3
Stomach
8.5
3.7
2.3
Breast
97.3
134.3
0.7
Cervical
6.2
7.0
0.9

*IBD = Intrahepatic Bile Duct
Source: NCI 2016. Seer Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2013. Tables 2.15 through 24.15
https://seer.cancer.gov/archive/csr/1975_2013/

 

5 Year Survival Rate

Not available at this time.

 

Death Rate

Cancer Death Rates per 100,000 - Men (2009-2013)
Cancer
Asian/Pacific Islander Men
Non-Hispanic White Men
Asian/Pacific Islander/Non-Hispanic White Ratio
All Sites
125.6
207.2
0.6
Liver & IBD*
14.4
7.6
1.9
Stomach
7.5
3.5
2.1
Prostate
9.1
19.2
0.5

 

Cancer Death Rates per 100,000 - Women (2009-2013)
Cancer
Asian/Pacific Islander Women
Non-Hispanic White Women
Asian/Pacific Islander/Non-Hispanic White Ratio
All Sites
89.6
147.3
0.6
Cervical
1.8
2.0
0.9
Liver & IBD*
6.0
3.1
1.9
Stomach
4.4
1.8
2.4
Breast
11.2
21.5
0.5

*IBD = Intrahepatic Bile Duct
Source: NCI 2016. Seer Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2013. Table 1.21.

 

Screening

Breast Cancer

Percent of women age 40 and over who had a mammogram within the past 2 years, 2013 (crude)
Asian American Women
Non-Hispanic White Women
Asian American/Non-Hispanic White Ratio
66.6
67.6
1.0

Source: CDC, 2016. Health United States, 2015. Table 70.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus15.pdf [PDF | 13.02MB]

 

Cervical Cancer

Percent of women age 18 and over who had a Pap smear within the past 3 years, 2013 (crude)
Asian American Women
Non-Hispanic White Women
Asian American/Non-Hispanic White Ratio
65.3
68.4
1.0

Source: CDC, 2016. Health United States, 2015. Table 71.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus15.pdf [PDF | 13.02MB]

At a Glance – Screening

 

Colon Cancer

Adults aged 50-75 who had any colorectal test or procedure, 2013
Asian American
Non-Hispanic White
Asian American/Non-Hispanic White Ratio
49.8
60.4
0.8

Source: CDC 2016. Health United States, 2015. Table 72.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus15.pdf[PDF | 13.02MB]
Last Modified: 11/3/2016 10:23:00 AM

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