Chinese Americans experience at least five challenges and opportunities with respect to the prevention and control of cancer. These challenges include:
- Being classified within the Asian American aggregate population category that has experienced the highest percentage of population growth for every decade since 1970. This is true nationally as well as in New York. Yet, our share of participation in government is not commensurate with our growth rates.
- Speaking the third most common language in the USA (after English and Spanish) and yet not having Chinese recognized as the third most common language used in commerce.
- Being severely under-represented in Federal health funding in research focused on Chinese American health and PubMed literature citations for Chinese American health.
- Being part of the only U.S. racial / ethnic population category (Asian Americans) experiencing cancer as the leading cause of death while all other Americans experience heart disease as the leading cause of death.
- Experiencing a cancer burden that is unusual in that cancers that disproportionally affect Chinese Americans include those of infectious origins,
e.g., stomach, nasopharyngeal, liver as well as those of a chronic nature,
e.g., lung, breast, etc. as well as a cancer burden that is unnecessary in that Chinese Americans are the least likely to participate in certain cancer screenings,
e.g., mammography.
With respect to the cancer burden, while liver cancer is among the top five causes of death for Chinese Californians, liver cancer does not appear among the top five causes of death for Caucasian Californians. However, the number one cancer concern should be lung cancer. Smoking is the number one preventable cause of death and Asian Americans represent the population least likely to be advised by their physicians to quit smoking. Additionally, while Asian Americans sixth graders were the least likely to smoke among all racial / ethnic groups, by the twelfth grade, Asian Americans ranked as the second highest racial / ethnic group to smoke. Additionally, Asian Americans are the least likely U.S. racial / ethnic group to see a physician in the last twelve months.
Just as the Great Wall was not built in a day, so rectifying the unique, unusual, and unnecessary cancer burden affecting Chinese Americans cannot be resolved by turning on a microwave oven. We need to recognize and reconcile Chinese American cultural values with respect to an optimal use of the health care system and that can be best done by Chinese American health professionals themselves.
Dr. Chen is Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, UC Davis, and Associate Director, Population Research & Cancer Disparities, University of California, Davis Cancer Center, Sacramento, CA |
Conference Program 2008
Scientific Meeting 2008
