A study in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention found significant patterns in cancer-related mortality for Asian Americans, when disaggregated into ethnic groups.
The researchers compared cancer-related mortality between whites and six Asian-American ethnic groups: Asian Indians, Chinese, Filipinos, Japanese, Koreans and Vietnamese.
Here's what you need to know:
1. When considered as one group, Asian Americans had lower cancer mortality than whites; however, mortality patterns were heterogeneous across different Asian-American ethnicities.
2. The Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese groups had particularly high rates of liver and stomach cancer mortality.
3. Combined, liver and stomach cancer accounted for between 15 percent and 25 percent of cancer deaths for the Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese groups; comparatively, these two cancers accounted for less than 5 percent of cancer deaths in whites.
The researchers concluded their findings "highlight the need for disaggregated reporting of cancer statistics in AAs and warrant consideration of tailored screening programs for liver and gastric cancers."