Cancer health disparities among Indian and Pakistani immigrants in the United States: a Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-based study from 1988 to 2003.
BACKGROUND
Immigrants from India and Pakistan comprise about 1.5% of the total United States population. To the author' knowledge, this is the first study analyzing epidemiologic data on Indian and Pakistani patients with newly diagnosed cancer.


METHODS
The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database has reported cancer incidence from 1973 to 2003. Since 1988, the Indian and Pakistani population has been reported separately under race and ethnicity. Frequency and survival analyses with SEER data were performed, and descriptive parameters were calculated along with overall survival in common cancers.


RESULTS
In total, 6889 cases were reported between 1988 and 2003, and those cases included 51% men and 49% women (P = .821). Among men, 30% of cases were prostate cancers, 10% of cases were lung cancers, and 9% of cases were colorectal cancers. Among women, 38% of cases were breast cancers, 15% of cases were genital cancers, and 7% of cases were colorectal cancers. When overall survival with common cancer was compared between immigrants and non-Hispanic whites in the United States, it was better among Indian and Pakistani immigrants.


CONCLUSIONS
In a United States-based Indian and Pakistani population, prostate and breast cancers were the most common malignancies in men and women, respectively. This differed from the incidence in India and Pakistan, where oral cavity cancer in men and breast and cervical cancers in women were the most common. These immigrant cancer patients also had better survival. This change in demographics may be attributed to multiple factors, and the current data have implications on cancer screening and intervention.
Hossain
Akm
A
Section of Hematology/Oncology, Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA.
Sehbai
Aasim
A
Abraham
Rachel
R
Abraham
Jame
J
D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D054625:Healthcare Disparities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010154:Pakistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D012042:Registries; D018426:SEER Program; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology