title: Annual report to the nation on the status of cancer, 1975-2003, featuring cancer among U.S. Hispanic/Latino populations.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The American Cancer Society, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Cancer Institute, and North American Association of Central Cancer Registries collaborate annually to provide U.S. cancer information, this year featuring the first comprehensive compilation of cancer information for U.S. Latinos.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cancer incidence was obtained from 90% of the Hispanic/Latino and 82% of the U.S. populations. Cancer deaths were obtained for the entire U.S. population. Cancer screening, risk factor, incidence, and mortality data were compiled for Latino and non-Latino adults and children (incidence only). Long-term (1975-2003) and fixed-interval (1995-2003) trends and comparative analyses by disease stage, urbanicity, and area poverty were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The long-term trend in overall cancer death rates, declining since the early 1990s, continued through 2003 for all races and both sexes combined. However, female lung cancer incidence rates increased from 1975 to 2003, decelerating since 1991 and breast cancer incidence rates stabilized from 2001 to 2003. Latinos had lower incidence rates in 1999-2003 for most cancers, but higher rates for stomach, liver, cervix, and myeloma (females) than did non-Latino white populations. Latino children have higher incidence of leukemia, retinoblastoma, osteosarcoma, and germ-cell tumors than do non-Latino white children. For several common cancers, Latinos were less likely than non-Latinos to be diagnosed at localized stages.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The lower cancer rates observed in Latino immigrants could be sustained by maintenance of healthy behaviors. Some infection-related cancers in Latinos could be controlled by evidence-based interventions. Affordable, culturally sensitive, linguistically appropriate, and timely access to cancer information, prevention, screening, and treatment are important in Latino outreach and community networks.
authors.affiliation: North American Association of Central Cancer Registries, Springfield, Illinois 62704-6495, USA. hhowe@naaccr.org
authors.forename: Holly L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Howe
authors.forename: Xiaocheng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Lynn A G
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Ries
authors.forename: Vilma
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cokkinides
authors.forename: Faruque
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.forename: Ahmedin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jemal
authors.forename: Barry
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.forename: Phyllis A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Wingo
authors.forename: Amelie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ramirez
authors.forename: Brenda K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Edwards
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000401:mortality; D012307:Risk Factors; D012931:Social Environment; D015996:Survival Rate; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology