New research shows that Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders between the ages of 20 and 49 have the highest death rates from any type of cancer among all racial groups of that age bracket.
The findings, published last month by the National Cancer Institute, weren’t immediately apparent in previous research because federal data has traditionally grouped together those of Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander descent, concealing the disparities, the report said.
“We have shown the importance of disaggregating Asian and NHPI individuals, as these groups have disparate cancer mortality rates that are hidden when analyzed together,” researchers wrote. “Policies aimed at equitable cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment, as well as disaggregation of data for racial/ethnic subpopulations are needed to address disparities in cancer mortality across racial/ethnic groups.”
Those of Asian descent, the manuscript pointed out, has the lowest cancer death rates across every age group and, when combined with data on Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders, the death rate largely ended up reflecting the low incidence of the disease among Asian Americans
While the Office of Management and Budget disaggregated the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander populations from Asian Americans in 1997, the National Center for Health Statistics didn’t release single-race mortality data until almost two decades later, when all states implemented the new classification on death certificates, the report said. Therefore, data on Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders, who represent an estimated 0.4% of the U.S. population, remained “masked.”
The report, which also looked at cancer death rates across other racial groups, showed additional disparities. Data on cancer mortality rates among males showed Black men with the highest numbers, followed by whites and Latinos. In looking at women, the mortality rates were highest among Black women. Native Hawaiian and Pacific…
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