Cancer Trends in Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities, 2000‑2022

Researchers looked at cancer numbers from 2000 to 2022 for people with Asian American, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander backgrounds in the United States. They used data from twenty‑one SEER registries and matched it with population counts. The study split the groups into eight Asian American sub‑groups and three Pacific Islander sub‑groups.

For women, the most common cancers were breast, lung, colon‑rectum, uterus, and thyroid. Breast and uterus rates mostly stayed the same or went up, with yearly changes ranging from about 0.7% to over 5% for breast and 2% to 3.6% for uterus. Colon‑rectum cancer tended to stay flat or drop, except among Asian Indian/Pakistani women where it rose slightly. Lung cancer rose for Asian Indian/Pakistani women but fell for Chinese women. Thyroid cancer increased for Japanese and Vietnamese women.

For men, the leading cancers were prostate, lung, colon‑rectum, liver, and non‑Hodgkin lymphoma. Lung, colon‑rectum, and liver rates were mostly steady or falling across the groups. Prostate cancer went up in most groups, with yearly changes between 2% and 5%, but it dropped sharply for Laotian, Guamanian/Chamorro, and Samoan men. Non‑Hodgkin lymphoma increased a bit for Asian Indian/Pakistani and Chinese men.

The researchers now have a detailed SEER database that breaks down cancer trends by each ethnic group through 2022. This resource lets scientists see patterns that differ between communities and can help shape cancer prevention and treatment efforts. Thinking about why some groups see rises while others see drops can point to clues about lifestyle, access to care, or genetics.