Author information
1
Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida. ppinheiro@med.miami.edu.
2
Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida.
3
School of Community Health Sciences, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada.
4
New York State Cancer Registry, Menands, New York.
5
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University at Albany SUNY, Albany, New York.
6
Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida.
7
Florida Cancer Data System, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miami, Florida.
Abstract
Background: Analyses of cancer patterns by detailed racial/ethnic groups in the Northeastern United States are outdated.Methods: Using 2008-2014 death data from the populous and diverse New York State, mortality rates and regression-derived ratios with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed to compare Hispanic, non-Hispanic white (NHW), non-Hispanic black (NHB), Asian populations, and specific Hispanic and NHB subgroups: Puerto Rican, Dominican, South American, Central American, U.S.-born black, and Caribbean-born black. Special analyses on liver cancer mortality, given the higher prevalence of hepatitis C infection among the 1945-1965 birth cohort, were performed.Results: A total of 244,238 cancer-related deaths were analyzed. Mortality rates were highest for U.S.-born blacks and lowest for South Americans and Asians. Minority groups had higher mortality from liver and stomach cancer than NHWs; Hispanics and NHBs also had higher mortality from cervical and prostate cancers. Excess liver cancer mortality among Puerto Rican and U.S.-born black men was observed, particularly for the 1945-1965 birth cohort, with mortality rate ratios of 4.27 (95% CI, 3.82-4.78) and 3.81 (95% CI, 3.45-4.20), respectively.Conclusions: U.S.-born blacks and Puerto Ricans, who share a common disadvantaged socioeconomic profile, bear a disproportionate burden for many cancers, including liver cancer among baby boomers. The relatively favorable cancer profile for Caribbean-born blacks contrasts with their U.S.-born black counterparts, implying that race per se is not an inevitable determinant of higher mortality among NHBs.Impact: Disaggregation by detailed Hispanic and black subgroups in U.S. cancer studies enlightens our understanding of the epidemiology of cancer and is fundamental for cancer prevention and control efforts.