The epidemiology of cancer among Hispanic women: the experience in Florida

Article Abstract:

There has been little systematically collected information on health among Hispanics, despite the fact that they represent the fastest growing minority population in the US. The studies that exist primarily focus on either Puerto Rican or Mexican populations. For this reason, researchers are collecting information on the health of Hispanics living in Dade County, Florida, which has the third largest concentration of Hispanics in the US, after New York and Los Angeles. Two-thirds of the Hispanics in Dade County are of Cuban origin, while the remainder represent virtually every country in Latin America and the Caribbean. The tabulation of different cases of cancer among Hispanic women reveals that, with a few exceptions, the rate of cancer among Hispanic women is lower than that of non-Hispanic women for the 15 most common cancers. Although breast cancer was the most common in both Hispanic and non-Hispanic subjects, the rate among the Hispanic women was lower. Rates of cancer of the gallbladder, liver, heart, and soft tissue were higher among the Hispanic women. The rate of cervical cancer was dependent on age, and while Hispanic women over 65 had a higher rate of cervical cancer, younger Hispanic women had lower rates than non-Hispanic women. This differential may be due to the fact that younger Cuban women have changed their lifestyles and resemble non-Hispanic women in some of the risk factors for cervical cancer. Overall, the data indicate that the cancers that are commonly higher in incidence among Hispanic women are not necessarily higher among the predominantly Cuban population of Dade county, suggesting that it is inappropriate to consider Hispanics as a uniform group for epidemiologic study. Furthermore, the study also indicates that the types of cancer that appear more frequently among non-Hispanic women have not yet begun to increase in incidence among Hispanics in Dade county, despite the changes in lifestyle that have occurred. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Diseases, Hispanic American women, Prevalence studies (Epidemiology)

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Cancer mortality in a higher-income black population in New York State: comparison with rates in the United States as a whole

Article Abstract:

There have been many studies comparing cancer mortality between blacks and whites in the United States. Many of the differences found can be accounted for by the generally lower socioeconomic status of blacks and the greater proportion of blacks among people living below the poverty line. However, a recent study conducted in Suffolk County, New York indicated that additional factors may be complicating the relationship between race and cancer mortality. In Suffolk County, the median family income for blacks ($19,604) is far greater than the median family income for American blacks as a whole ($12,618), and is, in fact, 94.1 percent of the median income for American whites. Despite the socioeconomic status of Suffolk county blacks, the overall cancer mortality was not different from that of American blacks as a whole. A more informative picture emerges as individual cancers are considered separately by age group and sex. It appears that the improved socioeconomic status has, for example, reduced the mortality of lung cancer among black men, but has not improved the mortality of breast cancer among black women. The mortality in Suffolk County black women due to uterine and cervical cancer is better than that of American blacks but far worse than that of American whites. Curiously, the rate of uterine cancer seems to be lower among black women compared with white women, but the survival rate is worse once the disease occurs. The authors tabulate the incidence of 16 different cancers in Suffolk County blacks, American blacks, and American whites, as well as the mortality for five age groups and the two sexes. The results indicate that changes in socioeconomic status affect different cancers differently, and careful study is needed to determine the needs of various groups for both medical care and health education. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Patient outcomes, Mortality, African Americans, Social status, African American women

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Epidemiology of cancer among Hispanic males: the experience in Florida

Article Abstract:

The three major groups of Hispanic persons living in the United States are the Puerto Ricans in New York, the Mexican Americans in the Southwest, and the Cuban population living in the Miami, Florida, area. Although several studies have examined the incidence of cancer among Puerto Ricans and Mexican Americans, there have been no studies of the Cubans. This would be of interest, since this population has assimilated more thoroughly, and demographically, Cubans more closely resemble non-Hispanic Americans. In addition, the Cubans tend to be better educated and have a lower rate of unemployment. Examination of the statewide tumor registry revealed that the Hispanic males in Dade County had an age-standardized cancer rate of 308.75 cases per 100,000 person-years. The rate among non-Hispanics was 349.55. Although Hispanic men in Dade County experienced higher rates of cancer of the larynx, thyroid, and gallbladder, they experienced lower rates of testicular cancer, esophageal and stomach cancer, pancreatic cancer and kidney cancer. They also experienced lower incidence of cancer of the colon, melanoma, and lung cancer, all major contributors to cancer mortality. These Hispanic men also experienced a lower incidence of Kaposi's sarcoma, which has been associated with AIDS. The cancers which are common among Americans in general or which have been traditionally elevated among US Hispanics, have not affected the Dade County Hispanic community. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Hispanic Americans, Cuban Americans

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