AAPI Cancer Facts
Improving cancer prevention, early detection, and survivorship among Asian American and Pacific Islander communities
- Asian American Women are the first American population to experience cancer as a leading cause of death.
- American Samoan men living in Hawaii and in California were ten times more likely to have nasopharyngeal cancer, seven times more likely to have liver cancer, and three times more likely to have stomach cancer as compared to White American Males. 1
- SEER 2000 data revealed the following cancer disparities:
- Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in Filipino women
- Cervical cancer rates in Vietnamese women are 5 times higher than white women
- Liver cancer ranks second in mortality for Chinese men „ Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer for Filipino men.
- Hawaiian women have the highest incidence of mortality from breast cancer of all ethnic groups.
- Hmong Women have one of the lowest mammography screening rates at 30%
- In California, invasive breast cancer rates increased by approximately 15% among women of AAPI ancestry over a ten-year period. 2
- Cancer was listed as one of the top three causes of death in five of the Six U.S.- affiliated Pacific Jurisdictions. 3
For more information about our project or APIAHF, please contact: Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF) 450 Sutter Street, Suite 600 San Francisco, CA 94108 Call (415) 954-9988 or Fax (415) 954-9999.
Footnotes:
1. Mishra SI, Luce-Aoelua P, Wilkens LR and Berstein L. Cancer among American- Samoans: Site-specific incidence in California and Hawaii. Intl J Epidemiol, 1996
2. American Cancer Society, CA Division, and Public Health Institute, California Cancer Registry. California facts and figures 2001
3. Shinagawa S, Evaon W, and Ho R. Report of the data working group meeting-issues for Asian American and Pacific Islander populations. Intercultural Cancer Council Report
