Research
US Demographic Snapshot & Cancer Incidence & Mortality In the Latino Population
The 2010 US Census found that Latinos are the fastest growing ethnic group in the nation and accounted for most of the national population growth. The US Census Bureau projects that the size of the Latino population is expected to increase from 15 percent to 30 percent by the year 2050; if this figure proves correct, one in every three United States residents will be Latino by 2050.
Nevertheless, the Latino population is a medically underserved community with barriers to access to care and high incidence of cancer mortality. For instance, Breast cancer is the leading incident cancer and leading cause of cancer death in Latino women. Although incidence rates are lower in Latino women than in Non-Hispanic White (NHW) women, the rate of decline in incidence rates since 2000 is lower for Latinos than for NHWs. Latino women are more likely to be diagnosed at later stages and with larger tumors and they are 20% more likely to die from their breast cancer than NHW women.
Overall, about 1 in 3 Hispanic men and 1 in 3 Hispanic women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. The lifetime probability of dying from cancer is 1 in 5 for Hispanic men and 1 in 6 for Hispanic women. Cancer is the leading cause of death among Hispanics, accounting for 22% of deaths in 2012.
National Leading Sites of Cancer Cases and Mortality Rates-2015 for all Latinos
| Site | Estimated Cases | Estimated Deaths | ||
| Male | Female | Male | Female | |
| Colorectal | 11% | 8% | 11% | 9% |
| Breast | 29% | 16% | ||
| Cervical | 3% | 4% | ||
| Lung and Bronchus | 9% | 7% | 17% | 13% |
Incidence Rates by State, National & Race & Ethnicity-2017
| Site/Race and Ethnicity | Virginia | Maryland | D.C. | Total U.S. |
| Latinos | ||||
| Breast | 80.7 | 91.8 | 70.8 | 92.3 |
| Cervical | 10.7 | 8.7 | ** | 9.7 |
| Colorectal | 26.5 | 25.2 | 28.4 | 35.0 |
| African Americans | ||||
| Breast | 132.7 | 131.3 | 140.0 | 122.8 |
| Cervical | 7.8 | 7.5 | 11.6 | 9.2 |
| Colorectal | 43.8 | 42.3 | 52.7 | 46.7 |
| NHWs | ||||
| Breast | 130.0 | 135.2 | 157.6 | 128.6 |
| Cervical | 5.6 | 5.7 | 4.5 | 7.0 |
| Colorectal | 35.8 | 36.5 | 26.2 | 39.4 |
Source: American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures for Hispanics/Latinos 2015-2017. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2015.
Non-Hispanic White’s and African American women have the highest breast cancer incidence overall
African American women have the highest breast cancer mortality overall
Source: Howlader N, Noone AM, Krapcho M, et al., editors. SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2014. Table 4.18. Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute. https://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2014/, 2017.
In a nationally representative sample of Hispanics, those from Mexico, Central America, and South America were less likely to receive cancer screenings relative to other Hispanic subgroups
Mammography Screening (Had a Mammogram in Past 2 years 40+) by Percentage
| R/E | DC | Virginia | Maryland | Total U.S. |
| Latino | 64.9% | 63.1% | 82.2% | 72.2% |
| African American | 79.0% | 84.3% | 84.6% | 78.3% |
| NHW | 71.6% | 73.9% | 77.8% | 73.3% |
Created by statecancerprofiles.cancer.gov on 12/21/2017 10:53 am
