This American Cancer Society report used NCI SEER data (2000–2022) to present disaggregated cancer incidence, stage at diagnosis, and 5-year relative survival for 8 Asian American and 3 Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) ethnic groups in the US, covering approximately 66% of the AANHPI population across 21 registries.
Overall incidence ranged from 218.3/100,000 (Kampuchean) to 474.5/100,000 (Native Hawaiian)—1.5× the aggregated AANHPI rate of 307.3/100,000. Samoan women had uterine corpus cancer rates ~3× those of White women (80.8 vs. 27.6/100,000). Five-year survival ranged from 42% (Laotian) to 74% (Asian Indian/Pakistani), with the widest gaps in colorectal (43% Laotian vs. 72% Asian Indian/Pakistani) and prostate cancer (63% Kampuchean vs. 97% Japanese).
- ~9% of Asian American and 26% of NHPI cases were classified as 'not otherwise specified,' likely causing underestimation of ethnic-group-specific rates. - Results reflect only 21 SEER registries covering 14 states; findings cannot be generalized to all AANHPI people in the US. - Hispanic ethnicity could not be distinguished within AANHPI groups, and recent screening/risk-factor data by ethnic subgroup are sparse.
Clinicians should not treat Asian American and NHPI patients as a uniform group—cancer risk, screening rates, and survival differ dramatically across ethnic subgroups, with Native Hawaiian and Samoan patients facing disproportionate burdens. Culturally and linguistically tailored screening outreach (e.g., HBV screening for Vietnamese/Korean patients, uterine cancer awareness for Samoan/Native Hawaiian women) is more effective than one-size-fits-all approaches.
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