About 55 out of every 100,000 Asian American and Pacific Islander women under age 50 were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021
Breast cancer rates among Asian American and Pacific Islander women have risen significantly across the United States. According to statistics, about 11,000 of them were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021 and 1,500 died. The latest federal data shows that the rate of new diagnoses among groups that previously had relatively low diagnosis rates is increasing much faster than that of many other racial and ethnic groups.
The National Institutes of Health says about 55 out of every 100,000 Asian American and Pacific Islander women under age 50 were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021, surpassing the rate for Black and Hispanic women and on par with the rate for white women.
Additionally, new cases of breast cancer among Asian American and Pacific Islander women under age 50 increased 52 percent between 2000 and 2021. Rates for AAPI women ages 50 to 64 increased 33 percent and rates for AAPI women ages 65 and older increased 43 percent during that period.
In comparison, the rate for women of all ages, races and ethnicities increased by 3 percent.
Researchers are not sure of the reasons
According to experts, who are trying to find out why this phenomenon occurs in this ethnically diverse group, although there is no concrete evidence, the reasons range from cultural changes to pressure-filled lifestyles. Some lifestyle factors that cause an increase in cancer cases are:
- Tobacco use
- Alcohol consumption
- Diet
- Sun exposure
- Physical inactivity
- Obesity
According to provisional age-adjusted data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 12 of every 100,000 Asian American and Pacific Islander women of any age will die from breast cancer in 2023. The breast cancer death rate among all women during that period fell by 30 percent.
The CDC does not break down breast cancer death rates for many different groups of Asian American women, such as those of Chinese or Korean descent. However, it has begun to distinguish between Asian American women and Pacific Islander women.
Nearly 9,000 Asian American women died of breast cancer between 2018 and 2023, compared with about 500 Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women. However, breast cancer death rates were 116% higher among Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women than among Asian American women during that period.
Other types of cancer are also experiencing a significant increase
In addition to breast cancer, pancreatic, thyroid, colon and endometrial cancers, along with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, have seen a sharp rise among Asian American and Pacific Islander women under age 50. Breast cancer, however, is far more common and has been of particular concern because doctors say younger women are more likely to suffer from a more aggressive form of the disease, with high mortality rates.
Experts fear an increase of more than 4 percent
According to experts, there is expected to be an increase of about 4 percent annually in the number of cases in women under 50. “We’re seeing an increase of about 4 percent annually,” Scarlett Gomez, a professor and epidemiologist at the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California, San Francisco, told CBS News.
Risk factors for breast cancer
Although Gomez says there isn’t enough research yet to know what’s causing the recent rise in breast cancer, experts have suggested it may involve multiple risk factors over a long period. Some of these include:
Family history
If a parent, sibling, or child has had breast cancer, your risk is higher.
Genetics
Studies indicate that inherited genetic mutations are responsible for 5 to 10 percent of breast cancer cases. The most common mutations are found in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.
Obesity
Some lifestyle factors, such as being overweight or obese, especially after menopause.
Hormones
Taking hormones such as oral contraceptives or menopausal hormone therapy.
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