Increased Rates of Incidence
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
- 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
- cervical
Decreased Incidence Rates
In comparison to the general population Minnesota Hmong has decreased PIRs for:
- prostate cancer
- breast cancer
- Hodgkin’s disease
- melanoma
