Chien-Chi Huang’s story of being diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after her first mammogram at 40 sheds light on the rising incidence of breast cancer among Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women. Since 2000, breast cancer rates among AAPI women under 50 have increased by 50%, with younger women now being diagnosed at alarming rates. A possible reason for this spike is the westernization and adoption of lifestyle choices not endemic to Asia, leading to established risk factors for breast cancer becoming more common in these populations.
Asian women tend to have dense breast tissue, making it difficult to detect tumors on mammograms, and are four times more likely to develop breast cancer as a result. Factors such as late pregnancies, increased obesity rates, access to screenings, environmental chemical exposures, and unique genetic traits among younger Asian American women may be contributing to the rise in breast cancer incidence.
Moreover, disparities in breast cancer incidence and mortality rates exist among different AAPI ethnic groups, with Korean, Chinese, Filipina, and South Asian American women facing higher risks. Immigrants from Asia have higher rates of breast cancer compared to U.S.-born Asian women, possibly due to socioeconomic factors. Educating and categorizing patients more effectively, rather than lumping them under the broad umbrella of “Asian America,” are critical steps in understanding and addressing the complex factors driving the increasing rates of breast cancer among AAPI women.
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