Abstract
BackgroundIn 2002, 17.8% of the global cancer burden was attributable to infections. This study assessed the age-standardized incidence and mortality rates of stomach, liver, and cervical cancer in Puerto Rico (PR) for the period 1992-2003 and compared them to those of Hispanics (USH), non-Hispanic Whites (NHW), and non-Hispanic Blacks (NHB) in the United States (US).MethodsAge-standardized rates [ASR(World)] were calculated based on cancer incidence and mortality data from the PR Cancer Central Registry and SEER, using the direct method and the world population as the standard. Annual percent changes (APC) were calculated using the Poisson regression model from 1992-2003.ResultsThe incidence and mortality rates from stomach, liver and cervical cancer were lower in NHW than PR; with the exception of mortality from cervical cancer which was similar in both populations. Meanwhile, the incidence rates of stomach, liver and cervical cancers were similar between NHB and PR; except for NHB women who had a lower incidence rate of liver cancer than women in PR. NHB had a lower mortality from liver cancer than persons in PR, and similar mortality from stomach cancer.ConclusionsThe burden of liver, stomach, and cervical cancer in PR compares to that of USH and NHB and continues to be a public health priority. Public health efforts are necessary to further decrease the burden of cancers associated to infections in these groups, the largest minority population groups in the US. Future studies need to identify factors that may prevent infections with cancer-related agents in these populations. Strategies to increase the use of preventive strategies, such as vaccination and screening, among minority populations should also be developed.
Highlights
In 2002, 17.8% of the global cancer burden was attributable to infections
This pattern is similar to patterns observed among Hispanics in the United States (US) (USH) who show lower incidence and mortality rates from total cancer than non-Hispanic Whites (NHW) for the most frequent cancer types, they experience a higher incidence of cancers related to infectious agents [13,14,15], similar to that of their countries of origin [16]
No significant differences in stomach cancer risk were observed between USH and non-Hispanic Blacks (NHB) men and women as compared to Puerto Rico (PR), except for NHB females who had a higher risk of the disease as compared to women in PR (SIR = 1.17, 95% CI = 1.03-1.33)
Summary
In 2002, 17.8% of the global cancer burden was attributable to infections. This study assessed the agestandardized incidence and mortality rates of stomach, liver, and cervical cancer in Puerto Rico (PR) for the period 19922003 and compared them to those of Hispanics (USH), non-Hispanic Whites (NHW), and non-Hispanic Blacks (NHB) in the United States (US). The incidence of total cancer in Puerto Rico (PR) is lower than that of the United States (US), the incidence from infection-related cancers such as stomach, liver and cervical cancer is higher in the island than in the US, among non-Hispanic Whites (NHW). Contrary to the US, these cancer types rank among the leading cancer sites in incidence and mortality in PR [7,8,9,10,11,12] This pattern is similar to patterns observed among Hispanics in the US (USH) who show lower incidence and mortality rates from total cancer than NHW for the most frequent cancer types, they experience a higher incidence of cancers related to infectious agents [13,14,15], similar to that of their countries of origin [16]
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