Breast Cancer in Women of Asian Heritage: Disparity Trends in the Asian American Breast Cancer Population Literature

The Asian American (AsAm) population is one of the most rapidly growing ethnic groups in the country, and the incidence of breast cancer among AsAm women has been steadily increasing. The purpose of this review is to describe the breast cancer disease burden and characteristics among this burgeoning minority group and the challenges/disparities they face.

AsAm women are reported to have low rates of up-to-date mammography screening and the highest annual percent increase in breast cancer incidence compared to other ethnicities. Persons within the AsAm aggregate are disproportionately affected by these inequities, a trend revealed once this population is disaggregated.

The AsAm population is uniquely impacted by breast cancer with regard to risk, screening, and treatment and faces unique challenges in our healthcare system. Inequities are further elucidated once these data are disaggregated showing the heterogeneity in this diverse patient population, an issue that is crucial to address in future research.