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Study: Cancers differ in Hispanic groups

Posted on: Thursday, 6 August 2009, 11:07 CDT

Different Hispanic groups have higher rates of certain cancers if they live in the United States rather than in their home countries, a study indicates.

Hispanics are not all the same with regard to their cancer experience, said Dr. Paulo Pinheiro, researcher in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Targeted interventions for cancer prevention and control should take into account the specificity of each Hispanic subgroup: Cubans, Puerto Ricans or Mexicans.

Pinheiro's results were published in the American Association for Cancer Research's Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, the research center said Thursday in a news release.

To date, studies classified all Hispanics as a single ethnic group, without noting differences among population groups, researchers said.

Pinheiro said he and his team evaluated the kinds of cancers occurring in each Hispanic population group, then compared their risk after moving to the United States. The team conducted the study in Florida, which has a diverse Hispanic community composed of Cubans, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Central and South Americans.

Results indicated that these population groups showed different patterns of cancer once they moved to the United States. For example, the research indicated Mexicans had the lowest rates of cancer overall and Puerto Ricans had the highest rates of cancer.

Other findings indicated Cuban men had higher incidence of tobacco-related cancers, Puerto Rican men had high rates of liver cancer and Mexican women showed a higher incidence of cervical cancer.

Overall, Pinheiro said the risk for most cancers was higher among Hispanics living in the United States compared with those who live in their home countries of origin.

Source: United Press International

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