Cancer Care

Mills and Yang (1997) report that Hmong Americans in general have increased incidents of certain types of cancer, especially: nasopharynx, cervix, stomach, liver, pancreas, leukemia and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Too often, the cancer has progressed to an advanced stage and grade of disease by the time it is diagnosed. Similarly, in a study of Hmong living in Minnesota, Ross and colleagues (2003) also report increased proportional incident ratios (PIRs) of cancer at the following sites: nasopharyngeal, gastric, hepatic, and cervical. In comparison to the general population Minnesota Hmong has decreased PIRs for prostate cancer, breast cancer, Hodgkin disease, and melanoma.