Cancer Risk Rises For Hispanics In U.S.

(WebMD)  The risk of cancer for Hispanics increases by 40 percent when they move to the U.S., according to a new study. The risks of specific cancers, however, differ widely among the Hispanic subgroups of Cubans, Puerto Ricans, and Mexicans, the researchers also found.

On the positive side, U.S. Hispanics generally have lower cancer incidence than non-Hispanic U.S. whites, says Paulo Pinheiro, MD, PhD, a researcher in the department of epidemiology and public health at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Florida.

"On the negative side, they increase their risk when they come here for the majority of the analyzed [in his study] cancers," Pinheiro, who led the story, tells WebMD. The study is published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

For the study, Pinheiro and his colleagues analyzed data from the Florida cancer registry for the years 1999-2001 and the 2000 U.S. Census population data. They also used data from the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization.

It's been known, Pinheiro says, that Hispanics in the U.S. have a generally lower cancer incidence rate than non-Hispanic U.S. whites, especially for breast, colorectal and lung cancer, but a higher incidence rate for cancers associated with infections and with lower socioeconomic status, such as cervical, liver and stomach cancers.

But Pinheiro wanted to "unmask" the variation in cancer occurring in the Hispanic subpopulations of Cubans, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans and others.

"This is the first time we have actually come up with numbers, with cancer rates for each population," he tells WebMD. "Florida is the perfect place to study a wide spectrum [of Hispanic subpopulations]," he says. "All subgroups are represented in sufficient numbers."

In all, nearly 302,000 cancers were diagnosed in Florida residents during the years studied, 1999 to 2001, and that included more than 30,000 Hispanic people, with 68% of them identified to a specific Hispanic subgroup.

Cancer Rates in U.S. vs. Country of Origin
Pinheiro found good and not-so-good news. "The good news is, for all Latinos, [total] cancer incident rates are still lower than for blacks or whites," Pinheiro says.

But cancer risk increases after they come to the U.S., he says, presumably as Hispanics adopt unhealthy U.S. lifestyle habits such as eating fast food too frequently.

Even though many studied were first generation, Hispanics in Florida had at least a 40 percent increased rate of cancer than Hispanics who lived in their countries of origin, the researchers found.

Then, the researchers looked more closely at the subgroups. "Each Latino population has a different cancer profile," Pinheiro says. Among his findings:
• Puerto Ricans in the study had the highest rates of cancer overall, followed by Cubans and Mexicans.
• Puerto Ricans in general had cancer rates close to that of whites, with a few exceptions. Lung cancer and melanoma in men and women and breast cancer in women were lower in Puerto Ricans than in whites. But Puerto Ricans had high rates of cervical, stomach, and liver cancer, the same as in Hispanic countries. Puerto Rican men had the highest rates for oral cavity and liver cancers of all the Hispanic populations analyzed.
• Cubans were comparable with whites in cancer rates, including low rates of cervical and stomach cancers. Cuban men were most afflicted by cancer associated with tobacco, such as lung and larynx, bladder, kidney and pancreas. Cuban women had the highest rate of colorectal cancer among all women studied.
• Mexicans had the lowest cancer incidence rate of all the subgroups. They had especially low rates of prostate, breast, endometrial and colorectal cancers. But they had higher rates of cancers associated with minorities -- such as stomach, cervical and liver -- than did whites.

Heritage Protects Hispanics
The researchers' finding "confirms some trends we've been seeing in the last few years -- that different U.S. Hispanic populations groups, such as Cubans, Mexicans and Puerto Ricans, have higher incidence rates of certain cancers than they do in their homelands," says Amelie G. Ramirez, DrPH, director of the Institute for Health Promotion and Research and co-associate director of the Cancer Prevention and Population Studies Research Program at the Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio.

"They also tend to have worse cancer outcomes due to less access to health care and late diagnosis," Ramirez says in a prepared statement.

The study also reflects the reality that Hispanics are not a single ethnic group, but represent several population groups, she says.

Ramirez and Pinheiro agree more research focusing on the Hispanic populations is crucial. About one in three people in the U.S. will be Hispanic by 2050, according to Ramirez. And research is lacking.

Hispanic people who immigrated here, Pinheiro says, should realize that their heritage "can be an advantage if they are able to maintain the protective lifestyle that protects them from cancer."

That probably includes a diet that's not rich in red meat, which has been linked with colorectal cancer, he says, and eating meals prepared at home instead of getting fast food.

Ramirez tells WebMD: "Hispanic patients, no matter what Hispanic population group they belong to, should fully describe their heritage, family history and health behaviors to their physician or medial professional." That information, she says, will help the health care provider take the patient's background into account to provide the best health care.
By Kathleen Doheny
Reviewed by Louise Chang
©2009 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved

[candy-apple13]

Probably has something to do with the increase in the hispanic population. DUH!!!

[lloydbest1]

Nope. The article clearly talks about rates. There are more sick hispanics here because the population is increasing but also because the PROPORTION of those sick is also increasing. That's what I took from the article.
I am suggesting, therefore, that if the Hispanic population flatlined - even over a period of several decades - The number of those at risk for cancer would still rise.

[dontknowitall]

SURGEON GENERAL *****WARNING*****SURGEON GENERAL*****WARNING***** GRINGO FOOD IS HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH
QUITTING FAST FOOD NOW GREATLY REDUCES SERIOUS RISKS TO YOUR HEALTH. EVACUATE NOW TO THE NEAREST BORDER.

[YCantWeAllGetAlong]

Once they move here and start getting their free money, food stamps and all the other benefits hard working Americans like myself are forced to pay for, then they start eating all the fast food. Have you ever seen the Hispanic illegals walking around in your cities? There are thousands of them to choose for. Just drive down any street in the area (always on a work day when everyone else is out supporting them with jobs) and you can see them sitting all over the place. The women can be found waddling through town with their piles of anchor babies spilling out all over the place. The kids are fat too.

[mary-miami]

For your information...There are thousands of people of Hispanic/Latin culture that are American citizens, speak perfect English, and are hard working tax payers. There are fat and slim people in all races, so what?
The good of a person does not lie in their race. It is found in the goodness of their heart and sentiment....says mary-miami.

[mary-miami]

The main idea reflected in this article is that when people migrate here, they want to become americanized and fit in, and part of that involves, adaption to eating certain foods. We all know how good fast food tastes and how easy it is to get used to eating it. What I must point out, however, is that the article refers to different cultures, not races. Hispanic/Latin is a culture. A person can be white Hispanic, black Hispanic, Asian hispanic, etc...In Miami, we differentiate by calling the rest of the population, Anglo white...that would mean someone who is white of a non-Latin background.

[xlib]

The thing I find interesting is that in Canada where there are many immigrating there from all over the world, do not refer to themselves as Hispanic/Canadians, Italian/Canadians, Jamaican/Canadians but as Canadian.
We are the only ones who do differentiate people. I know this is off topic but I find it interesting.
I don't really think it has anything to do with Hispanics coming here and becoming Americanized. I find it quite the opposite. Could it be that coming here brings access to health care they may not have had in their home country?