Cancer Incidence Rate Variations among the Chinese, South Asian, and Vietnamese in Massachusetts, 2011-2015.

OBJECTIVES: To examine cancer incidence among the 3 Asian, non-Hispanic ethnicities with the highest frequency of cases (South Asian, Chinese, and Vietnamese). METHODS: Age-adjusted incidence rates for all invasive cancers were calculated for South Asian (Indian, Pakistani), Chinese, and Vietnamese cancer cases reported to the Massachusetts Cancer Registry (MCR). Additionally, rates were calculated for the most frequent cancers among non-Hispanic Asians (prostate, colorectal, female breast, female thyroid, lung, and male liver). The 95% confidence intervals were calculated to determine statistical significance between the rates. RESULTS: South Asian and Vietnamese females had significantly elevated rates of all invasive cancers compared to Chinese females, while Chinese and South Asian females had a significantly elevated breast cancer rate. Vietnamese males had a significantly elevated rate of all invasive cancers, liver cancer, and lung cancer compared to the other 2 groups. Due to the high rates of lung cancer among Vietnamese males, MCR current/previous smoking data were compared for all cancers. Among Vietnamese, Chinese, and South Asian male cancer cases, current/ previous smoking percentages were 64%, 51%, and 35%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our analyses showed a significant difference of rates for several cancers by specific Asian ethnicity within the broader Asian, non-Hispanic race category. Differences in tobacco use, maternal hepatitis B infection, and diet likely contribute to some of the differences. These data can aid in the development of prevention programs, such as smoking cessation and mammography screening that are culturally and linguistically specific within this large and diverse group.

Tobacco-Associated Cancer Incidence and Mortality in Massachusetts, 2006-2015.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiology of tobacco-associated cancers in Massachusetts from 2006-2015. METHODS: Incident cases of tobacco-associated cancers diagnosed from 2006-2015 were provided by the Massachusetts Cancer Registry. Tobacco-associated cancers include lung, oral cavity, esophageal, laryngeal, pancreatic, cervical, liver, bladder, kidney, stomach, colorectal, and acute myeloid leukemia. Cancer deaths due to those cancers were provided by the Massachusetts Registry for Vital Records and Statistics. Joinpoint regression was used to assess trends in the rates and 95% confidence intervals were used to assess significant differences over the time period. RESULTS: From 2006-2015, 42% of all cancer cases and 60% of all cancer deaths were due to a tobacco-associated cancer. Lung and colorectal cancers had the highest incidence (65.8 and 39.8 per 100,000, respectively) and mortality rates (44.6 and 13.6 per 100,000, respectively) of all the tobacco-associated cancers in Massachusetts. The incidence and mortality rates of lung, esophageal, laryngeal, and colorectal cancer decreased with statistical significance from 2006-2015. Non-Hispanic Whites and non-Hispanic Blacks had the highest incidence (203.9 and 189.2/100,000, respectively) and mortality rates (100.7 and 97.4/100,000, respectively) from tobacco-associated cancers, and these rates have decreased with statistical significance from 2006-2015. CONCLUSION: Tobacco cessation initiatives remain important even as the incidence and mortality rates of some tobacco-associated cancers have decreased in recent years. Understanding the distribution of these cancers by sex and race will provide public health officials with information on populations still affected by these cancers.

Cancer Among Adolescents and Young Adults in Massachusetts from 2004 to 2014.

This brief report describes the burden of cancer among adolescents and young adults (AYAs), aged 15-39 years, in Massachusetts from 2004 to 2014 using data from the Massachusetts Cancer Registry and Registry of Vital Records and Statistics. In Massachusetts, 4.6% of cancer cases and 1.3% of cancer deaths occurred among AYAs. The incidence rate of cancer among AYAs was 77.6 cases per 100,000 and the mortality rate was 8.0 deaths per 100,000. The incidence rates of melanoma and Hodgkin lymphoma have been decreasing annually. The incidence rate of thyroid cancer has been increasing for females aged 15-24 years and males aged 25-39 years.