- American Samoan women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with, and to die from, cervical cancer, as compared to non-Hispanic whites.
- American Samoan men are eight times more likely to develop liver cancer, and Native Hawaiian men are 2.4 times more likely to be diagnosed with the same disease, as compared to non-Hispanic whites.
- In Hawaii, from 2013-2015, Native Hawaiians had the highest mortality rate (404.8) for all types of cancer, as compared to whites (136.5) in the state.1
- In the U.S. territory of Guam, from 2008-2012, the incidence rate was higher for all cancer types in the Micronesian population (414.7), as compared to other ethnic groups in Guam.2
* NOTE: This is the most recent national data which is available at this time. Additional data will be added as reports are issued from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Diagnosis
| Age-adjusted percentages of cancer among adults aged 18 and over, 2019 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | Non-Hispanic White | Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander / Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 5.7 | 9.2 | 0.6 |
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db277.pdf [PDF 333KB]
Source: CDC 2017. Summary Health Statistics: National Health Interview Survey: 2014. Table A-3.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis/shs/tables.htm
Top Cancer Sites for Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders (1998-2002)
| Cancer Incidence Rates per 100,000 - Men (1998-2002)* | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer | Native Hawaiian | Samoan | Tongan | Non-Hispanic White (NHW) | Native Hawaiian / NHW Ratio | Samoan / NHW Ratio | Tongan / NHW Ratio |
| All Sites | 531.6 | 566.7 | 428.8 | 587.0 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 0.7 |
| Colorectal | 65.7 | 43.1 | -- | 65.6 | 1.0 | 0.7 | -- |
| Liver & IBD | 16.3 | 54.5 | -- | 6.7 | 2.4 | 8.1 | -- |
| Lung | 109.8 | 111.9 | 107.0 | 89.2 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.2 |
| Prostate | 119.7 | 144.1 | 85.0 | 170.0 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.1 |
| Stomach | 18.8 | 53.0 | -- | 9.9 | 1.9 | 5.4 | -- |
| Cancer Incidence Rates per 100,000 - Women (1998-2002)* | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer | Native Hawaiian | Samoan | Tongan | Non-Hispanic White (NHW) | Native Hawaiian / NHW Ratio | Samoan / NHW Ratio | Tongan / NHW Ratio |
| All Sites | 488.5 | 472.0 | 504.7 | 448.5 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| Breast | 175.8 | 102.5 | 118.0 | 145.2 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.8 |
| Cervical | 12.3 | 18.1 | -- | 8.1 | 1.5 | 2.2 | -- |
| Colorectal | 44.0 | 38.6 | -- | 47.6 | 0.9 | 0.8 | -- |
| Lung | 69.7 | 56.9 | -- | 59.0 | 1.2 | 1.0 | -- |
| Stomach | 14.5 | -- | -- | 4.3 | 3.4 | -- | -- |
| *IBD = Intrahepatic Bile Duct | |||||||
http://seer.cancer.gov/publications/apicancer/index.html
5 Year Survival Rate
Not available at this time.
Death Rate
| Cancer Death Rates per 100,000 - Men (1998-2002)* | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer | Native Hawaiian | Samoan | Non-Hispanic White (NHW) | Native Hawaiian / NHW Ratio | Samoan / NHW Ratio |
| All Sites | 263.7 | 293.0 | 241.3 | 1.1 | 1.2 |
| Liver & IBD | 11.8 | 32.9 | 6.1 | 1.9 | 5.4 |
| Lung | 87.7 | 74.0 | 72.2 | 1.2 | 1.0 |
| Stomach | 14.1 | 40.9 | 5.8 | 2.4 | 7.1 |
| Cancer Death Rates per 100,000 - Women (1998-2002)* | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer | Native Hawaiian | Samoan | Non-Hispanic White (NHW) | Native Hawaiian / NHW Ratio | Samoan / NHW Ratio |
| All Sites | 198.9 | 209.3 | 171.7 | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| Breast | 33.5 | 36.2 | 27.8 | 1.2 | 1.3 |
| Cervical | 5.2 | -- | 2.4 | 2.2 | -- |
| Liver & IBD | 6.4 | -- | 2.7 | 2.4 | -- |
| Stomach | 10.3 | -- | 2.8 | 3.3 | -- |
http://seer.cancer.gov/publications/apicancer/index.html
1 Source: Hawai’i Health Data Warehouse [Accessed 07/29/2021]
http://hhdw.org/health-reports-data/category/cancer/mortality/ (Back to top)
2 Source: Guam Cancer Facts and Figures, 2008-2012. Table 10.
https://u54.guamcrc.org/reports/ (Back to top)
Last Edited: 06/12/2025