Objective:

To examine updated trends in breast cancer incidence among Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander women from 2000 to 2022.

Approach:

• Data Source: Utilized data from the NCI SEER Program covering female invasive breast cancer cases diagnosed from January 1, 2000, through December 31, 2022.
• Population Coverage: Data included 21 registries across 14 states, representing 66.4% of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander population.
• Ethnic Disaggregation: Analyzed trends for 7 Asian American and 2 Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander groups, as well as comparisons with other racial and ethnic groups.

Key Findings:

• Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander women had the steepest rise in breast cancer rates at 3.3% per year from 2017 to 2021.
• Breast cancer incidence varied across different Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander ethnic groups.
• Estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer rates increased significantly among Asian American women, while estrogen receptor-negative rates remained stable or decreased.
• The fastest increase in triple-negative breast cancer incidence was observed in females aged 65 years or older at 5.5% from 2016 to 2019.
• Incidence rates for women under 50 years increased by 4.0% annually from 2016 to 2019.

Interpretation:

The study highlights concerning trends in breast cancer incidence among Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander women, particularly among younger cohorts and specific ethnic groups.

Limitations:

• National breast cancer incidence trends for disaggregated ethnic groups had not been reported since 2014 due to lack of annual population estimates.
• The study is based on deidentified data, which limits the ability to assess individual-level factors.

Conclusion:

The findings indicate a need for further research into the underlying drivers of increasing breast cancer rates in these populations.

Sources:

• NCI SEER Program