摘要：Objectives . This article synthesizes information about cancer in 9 populations of minority women: Mexican American, Puerto Rican, Cuban American, African American, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, American Samoan, American Indian, and Alaska Native. Methods . Cancer registry data, social indicators, government sources, and published articles were searched for information on the background and cancer experience of these 9 racial/ethnic groups. Results . Approximately 35 million women in these racial/ethnic groups live in the United States, and their numbers are increasing rapidly. Since 1992, incidence rates for major cancer sites have slowed or decreased among these groups, but declines in mortality have not occurred or have been smaller than for Whites. Gaps in early detection have narrowed, but minority women still lag behind Whites. Smoking and obesity remain common in these populations. Conclusions . More culturally appropriate interventions and research are needed, and these efforts must involve the community and raise the quality of health services. Cancer is the second leading cause of death (after heart disease) among women of all races in the United States. 1 The burden of cancer is not distributed equally—many racial and ethnic minority groups experience higher incidences, higher mortality, and poorer survival rates than do White Americans. 2 All cancer incidence and mortality rates declined from 1992 to 1997, the first such sustained decrease since the collection of cancer data began in the 1930s. For both men and women and in most minority populations, mortality has declined along with most of the leading causes of death from cancer. For some cancers, some ethnic minority groups have lower cancer rates than White Americans. Overall, however, minority groups have still not gained equal ground. 3, 4 Further progress in reducing the toll of cancer—suffering, loss of life, and health care costs—depends on reducing health disparities by more effectively applying the best available strategies for prevention, early detection, and treatment to all populations. 4 The nation’s health objectives for the present decade call for the elimination of health disparities and increases in the quality and quantity of healthy life for all Americans. 5 The National Cancer Institute, the Office of Research on Women’s Health, and other federal health research and service agencies are working aggressively to better understand the causes of health disparities and to develop effective interventions to eliminate them. 6– 10 An important step forward in these efforts involves providing a comprehensive overview of the current situation and recent trends in a form that is accessible to scientists, health professionals, public health experts, and communities of color. The Cancer in Women of Color monograph (available on-line 11 )—a collaboration between the National Cancer Institute and the Office of Research on Women’s Health of the National Institutes of Health—provides data on cancer in 9 populations of women of color: Mexican American, Puerto Rican, Cuban American, African American, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, American Samoan, American Indian, and Alaska Native. The selection of these minority groups for inclusion was based on recommendations from an advisory group at the time the project was conceived. This monograph provides state-of-the-science information about cancer in the context of the lives and sociocultural circumstances of women from these 9 minority groups. It represents the first compilation of cancer data regarding women in some of the smaller minority populations into an accessible format. This article summarizes and synthesizes key information regarding the cancer experience of the 9 minority groups discussed in the monograph. It provides data on the demographic, cultural, health care, and cancerrelated factors that contribute to health disparities and hold promise for reducing them. Special attention is given to available sources of relevant data and their limitations.
