Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #121233

Ana Patricia Ortiz, MPH, PhD¹, Erick Suárez, MS, PhD¹, and Graciela Nogueras, MPH². (1) Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, Graduate School of Public Health, PO Box 365067, San Juan, PR 00936, 787-758-2525 ext 1471, aportiz@rcm.upr.edu, (2) Puerto Rico Cancer Center, University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, PO Box 365067, San Juan, PR 00936

Background: Data on the incidence of breast and gynecologic cancers for Hispanic women is limited. This study compared the cancer incidence rates between Puerto Rico (PR) and the following groups: Unites States (US) population, US-Hispanics (US-H), Texas (TX), TX Hispanics (TX-H), New York (NY) and NY Hispanics (NY-H).

Methods: A trend analysis of the age-standardized cancer incidence rates (per 100,000) was performed for each population, using the direct method (standard population=USA 2000); and group-specific relative risk (RR) calculated. The percent change (%Δ) between 1992-1994 and 1998-2000 was also computed. The databases used for analysis were: Puerto Rico Cancer Registry (1987-2000), Texas Cancer Epidemiology and Surveillance Branch (1995-2000); US SEER database (1987-2000) and the New York State Cancer Registry (1990-2000).

Results: PR experimented an excess in the risk of breast cancer as compared to US-H (14%) and NY-H (54%). For cervical cancer, PR had an excess risk as compared to US (40%) and US-H (16%). For ovarian cancer, PR had an excess in risk as compared to TX (37%) and TX-H (26%). Comparison of the %Δ showed that although cervical (%PR: 8.5%, %US-H:-22.7%) and ovarian cancer (PR: 6.1%, US-H:-4.5%) are decreasing in US-H, both of them are increasing in PR; a higher increase in the incidence of breast cancer (PR: 28.9%, US-H: 5.2%) was also observed in PR.

Conclusions: Puerto Rico shows an excess of breast, ovarian and cervical cancer as compared to other Hispanic subgroups. The differences observed underscore the need of conducting multiethnic studies in cancer research.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the incidence trends of breast, ovarian and cervical cancer in PR and the US.
• Recognize that diferences exist in the incidence of these cancer types, between Puerto Ricans, US Hispanics and the general population of the US.
• Define potential areas for future research in the epidemiology of breast, cervical and ovarian cancer.

Keywords: Hispanic, Cancer

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.