Minority Women's Health

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Breast Cancer

Minority Women's Health > Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders and Native Hawaiians > Health Topics > Breast Cancer

Women get breast cancer when cells in the breast don't grow correctly and a tumor forms. Getting a mammogram (x-ray of the breast) can help find the cancer early. This gives a woman more treatment options and makes it more likely she will survive the cancer.

Breast cancer is less common in Asian American/Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian women than it is in white or African American women. But, more Asian American/Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian women have breast cancer than do Hispanic/Latina or American Indian/Alaska Native women. Also, the number of Asian American/Pacific Islander women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer has increased. Chinese American and Japanese American women have higher rates of breast cancer than women of their same age in China and Japan. At first, it was thought that a Western diet, which tends to be higher in fat, could explain this difference, but this has not been proven.

Among all other populations in the U.S., Asian American/Pacific Islander women have the lowest death rate from breast cancer. However, among certain Pacific Islanders, death rates from breast cancer are much higher than other groups. Native Hawaiians have the highest death rate from breast cancer than any group in the U.S. Breast cancer also is the leading cause of death among Filipino women. We do not know why the rates vary between these groups. But, of all groups in this country, Asian American/Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian women are the least likely to have ever had a mammogram.

We do not know how to prevent breast cancer. But there are things you can do to reduce your risk, such as keeping a healthy weight and limiting how much alcohol you drink.

There are things you can do to find breast cancer early:

• Get a mammogram. It is the best way to find out if you have breast cancer. A mammogram is an x-ray picture of the breast. It can find breast cancer that is too small for you or your doctor to feel. All women starting at age 40 should get a mammogram every one to two years. Talk to your doctor about how often you need a mammogram. If your mother or sister had breast cancer, you may need to start getting mammograms earlier.

• A breast self-exam and a clinical breast exam are not substitutes for mammograms.

  Get a clinical breast exam. This is a breast exam done by your doctor or nurse. She or he will check your breasts and underarms for any lumps, nipple discharge, or other changes. The breast exam should be part of a routine check up.
• Get to know your breasts. You may do monthly breast self-exams to check for any changes in your breasts. If you find a change, see your doctor right away.

Publications

1.   Asian American and Pacific Islander Women's Health: Multilingual Cancer Screening Recommendations — This multilingual site offers several languages to help Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian women understand the importance of having mammograms and pap smears at regular intervals. Materials are offered in Samoan, Cambodian, Laotian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, and Thai.

   http://www.apanet.org/~fdala/

2.     Get a Mammogram: Do It for Yourself, Do It for Your Family (Chinese translation) — Breast cancer is the leading cancer among women of many Asian American women in the U.S. Many women do not know they have breast cancer until it is advanced. This brochure is translated into Chinese and encourages Asian American women in their 40s and older to get a mammogram every 1 to 2 years.

   http://www.cancer.gov/images/Documents/68432989-7c99-4e56-8352-c813d5ef3422/ChineseBroch2.pdf...

3.     Get a Mammogram: Do It for Yourself, Do It for Your Family (Tagalog translation) — Breast cancer is the leading cancer among women of many Asian American groups in the U.S. Many women do not know they have breast cancer until it is advanced. This brochure is translated into Tagalog and encourages API women in their 40s and older to get a mammogram every 1 to 2 years.

   http://www.cancer.gov/images/Documents/68432989-7c99-4e56-8352-c813d5ef3422/tagalog_brochure.pdf...

4.     Get a Mammogram: Do It for Yourself, Do It for Your Family (Vietnamese translation) — Breast cancer is the leading cancer among women of many Asian American groups in the U.S. Many women do not know they have breast cancer until it is advanced. This brochure encourages API women in their 40s and older to get a mammogram every 1 to 2 years.

   http://www.cancer.gov/images/Documents/68432989-7c99-4e56-8352-c813d5ef3422/Vietnamese2.pdf...

5.   Screening Mammograms: Questions and Answers — This fact sheet explains how screening mammograms differ from diagnostic mammograms. It also explains the benefits and limitations of screening mammography, as well as the National Cancer Institute’s recommendations for when a woman should begin and how frequently she should continue having screening mammograms.

   http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Detection/screening-mammograms

6.   Understanding Breast Changes: A Health Guide for Women — This booklet explains how doctors distinguish breast lumps and other normal breast changes that often occur. These changes may often be confused with breast cancer. It encourages women to get regular screening mammograms and clinical breast exams.

   http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/understanding-breast-changes/allpages

7.   What You Need To Know About Breast Cancer — This booklet provides valuable information about breast cancer, including causes, screening, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. Additionally, this booklet offers women with breast cancer information on how to cope with the disease.

   http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/wyntk/breast

8. Asian American Pacific Islander Cancer Education Materials Tool (Copyright © ACS) — This catalog of information about cancer provides links to web sites that can provide Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Native Hawaiians education materials on a variety of cancer topics.

   http://www.cancer.org/acmmain

9. Asian Language Materials (Copyright © ACS) — This web site lists the American Cancer Society materials available in several Asian languages, including Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese.

   http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ASN/ASN_0.asp

10.   Breast Cancer Racial and Ethnic Differences (Copyright © Susan G. Komen Foundation) — Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers among women in the United States. It is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among nearly every racial and ethnic group, including African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian, and Hispanic/Latina women. The rates of developing and dying from the disease differ among ethnic groups, and this publication discusses these differences.

    http://ww5.komen.org/uploadedFiles/Content_Binaries/806-373a.pdf

11.   Caregivers of Women Living With Metastatic Breast Cancer (Copyright © Cancercare) — This booklet is a guide to helping your loved one with metastatic breast cancer while still taking care of yourself. It also discusses how you and other caregivers can get the support you need.

    http://www.cancercare.org/pdf/booklets/ccc_met_bc_caregivers.pdf

12. Facts and Statistics About Breast Cancer in the United States: Year 2008 (Copyright © NBCC) — This fact sheet discusses breast cancer rates in the United States and how they have changed in the last few decades.

    http://www.stopbreastcancer.org//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=493&Itemid=178...

13. Pictures of Breast Cancer (Copyright © breastcancer.org) — This web site has pictures of how to do a breast self-exam. It also has drawings of different types of breast cancer, copies of MRIs and other tools used to diagnose breast cancer, and pictures of breast reconstruction.

    http://www.breastcancer.org/picture.html

14.   Strength as a Survivor: Living After Cancer Treatment (Copyright © Lance Armstrong Foundation) — This brochure was written for Asian American cancer survivors. It discusses the many physical, practical, and emotional concerns of cancer survivors. The brochure encourages survivors to seek support and lists organizations that can help them manage their concerns.

    http://www.livestrong.org/atf/cf/%7BFB6FFD43-0E4C-4414-8B37-0D001EFBDC49%7D/brochure_asa.pdf...

Organizations

1.   National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, NCCDPHP, CDC
2.   Office of Minority Health, OPHS, OS, HHS
3. American Cancer Society
4. Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness, Research, and Training
5. Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum
6. Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations
7. National Asian Women's Health Organization
8. Susan G. Komen for the Cure®

= Indicates Federal Resources

Resources reviewed March 2008.