Proportionate cancer incidence in the Laotian population of California, 1988-2006
Author(s):
Yang, Richard C.; Mills, Paul K.
Format:
Journal article
Citation:
Cancer Causes & Control, Volume 20, Issue 6 (2009-08). pp. 1011-1016.
Language:
English
Abstract:
When the Vietnam War ended in 1975, pro-US Laotians (including Lao, Mien, Khmu) were displaced and became refugees in their own native country. Thousands fled to refugee camps in nearby Thailand and were eventually relocated to several Western countries, including the US. A listing of 1,195 Laotian cancer cases were extracted from the California Cancer Registry for diagnosis years 1988-2006. Cancer cases with birthplace coded as "Laos" were included. Proportionate incidence ratios (PIRs) and associated 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for 17 selected cancer sites. The total population of California (all race/ethnic groups combined) was used as the reference. Proportional occurrence of cancers varied by genders and by cancer sites. Laotians in California experienced statistically significantly elevated risks for cancer of the nasopharynx (PIR = 14.8; 95% CI = 10.5-20.1), liver (PIR = 12.6; 95% CI = 10.8-14.6), stomach (PIR = 3.1; 95% CI = 2.4-4.0), cervix (PIR = 1.9; 95% CI = 1.5-2.3), pancreas (PIR = 2.1; 95% CI = 1.5-2.8), oral cavity (PIR = 1.8; 95% CI = 1.4-2.3), lung and bronchus (PIR = 1.4; 95% CI = 1.2-1.7). As found for other Asian subgroups, Laotians, too, have statistically significantly reduced risks for colorectal (PIR = 0.8; 95% CI = 0.6-0.9), colon (PIR = 0.7; 95% CI 0.5-0.9), breast (PIR 0.7; 95% CI = 0.5-0.8), and prostate (PIR = 0.1; 95% CI = 0.0-0.2) cancers. The increased risk found for mostly non-Western types of cancers have implications for culturally responsive cancer control and intervention activities targeting the Laotian population.