Breast Cancer Rates Rise Among Asian-Americans

Group Has Traditionally Had Lower Risk Of Breast Cancer

No American woman is entirely safe from breast cancer, according to a new study.

Asian-American women have traditionally had a lower risk of breast cancer than others, but even their breast cancer rates have been rising, say epidemiologists at the University of Southern California.

Cases of breast cancer among Japanese-American women, in particular, have been increasing rapidly, according to research, which was published in the June 10 issue of the International Journal of Cancer.

Researchers studied cancer cases reported in the mid- to late 1990s throughout Los Angeles County, the most populous and probably most ethnically diverse county in the nation. Breast cancer rates in Los Angeles are similar to rates nationwide.

Researchers found that the breast cancer rates for Japanese and Filipino women were about double those for Chinese and Korean women, and rates rose during the 1993-1997 period for all except Chinese women.

Among Asian women 50 years or older, diagnosed cases increased about 6.3 percent a year during the five-year period. Among non-Hispanic white women 50 years or older, diagnosed cases increased about 1.5 percent a year during the same time period.

"Although Asian-American women in the past have had low breast cancer rates, that appears to no longer be the case," said Dennis Deapen, professor of preventive medicine. "And if trends from the 1990s have continued, rates among Japanese-American women in Los Angeles County may have surpassed those of non-Hispanic white women, who have historically had the highest rates of breast cancer."

"Breast cancer incidence for Japanese-American women in Los Angeles County is the highest reported anywhere in the world," Deapen said. In Japan itself, studies have shown that breast cancer incidence also has increased dramatically, more than doubling from 1960 to the late 1980s.

The Japanese lifestyle has become increasingly westernized, study authors said, influencing factors known to increase risk for breast cancer: having fewer children, engaging in less physical activity and experiencing increasing obesity. Japanese are also eating more fats and fewer soy products.

Research has shown that when Asian women migrate to the United States, breast cancer risk increases in subsequent generations. Among the four Asian groups analyzed in this study, Japanese were the first population to migrate to Los Angeles County in substantial numbers, followed by Filipinos. Chinese and Koreans have been more recent, and the immigrant populations have retained more of their lifestyle habits after migrating.

Previous Stories:

• May 20, 2002: 'Booby Jacuzzi' Targets Breast Cancer
• May 16, 2002: Initial Chemo Treatment May Save Breasts
• May 7, 2002: FDA Approves New Breast Cancer Treatment
• April 25, 2002: Book Answers Breast Cancer Questions
• March 12, 2002: Blood Test Could Screen For Breast Cancer
• February 26, 2002: Link Found Between Breast, Ovarian Cancers
• February 22, 2002: Health Officials: Mammograms A Must
• February 21, 2002: Cancer Doesn't Have To Mean Loss Of Breast
• February 13, 2002: Study: More Children, Less Breast Cancer Risk?

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