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Survey Finds Ethnic Californians Lag Behind in Cancer-Screening
Ethnic Physicians and the Ethnic
Media Team Up to Raise Awareness
Latinos and Asians consistently lag behind other groups
in rates of cancer screening, according to a multilingual
survey released in November 2003 by the UCLA Center for
Health Policy Research. In an unusual coalition, the Latino
and Asian press are working together with Latino and Asian
physicians to raise awareness about the effectiveness
of getting screened for cancer.
Cancer screening and prevention is necessary for the
health of all California's families. "Cancer is not
a one person problem," says Dr. Tin Tin Hla, a San
Jose physician and past President of the U.S. Burmese
Medical Association, Northern California. "It involves
the loved ones around you. Get to know more about cancer
screening and prevention for the sake of you and your
family."
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in California
and the nation, surpassed only by heart disease. Cancer
screening tests are crucial to preventing cancer by detecting
it early when it is most treatable, and, in many cases,
curable.
Regular screenings should be done in the absence of any
symptoms-something many Californians don't know. One of
the most common reasons reported for not having a recent
cancer screening is that the patient "hasn't had
any problems." This misconception is particularly
prevalent among the ethnic and racial groups least likely
to get tested.
In California, Asians report lower rates of screening
than whites for the four main cancers that are screened
for: Pap test for cervical cancer; mammography for breast
cancer; stool blood test, colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy
for colon cancer; and the prostate specific antigen (PSA)
test for prostate cancer.
"Cancer is one of the major causes of death for
Asian Americans," notes Edward A. Chow, M.D., Executive
Director of the Chinese Community Health Care Association
in San Francisco. "Unfortunately, the diagnosis is
often made late in the course of the disease. Using proven
cancer detecting tests can reduce mortality rates by diagnosing
it early."
Less than 70 percent of Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean
women report having a Pap test in the last three years-a
disturbing statistic since Vietnamese women are five times
more likely than white women to have cervical cancer.
"Some Asian women may be reluctant to ask their
physicians, especially if the physician is male, for a
Pap smear or mammogram because of cultural issues regarding
modesty," explains Dr. Quyen Ngo-Metzger, a U.C.
Irvine physician. "Many Asian men and women are not
aware that they need special screening tests for cancer.
Many patients that I have encountered assume that the
doctor has ordered all the needed tests. We need to educate
the public to ask for these tests."
Cervical cancer is also high among Latina women, with
rates double that of white women. And Latinos report lower
screening rates than whites for breast, colon and prostate
cancer. Only 37 percent of Latinos report having been
screened recently for colon cancer, for example, compared
to 56 percent of whites. Latina women are at particular
risk-only one in three (33 percent) reports having a recent
colon cancer screening test.
"I stress with my patients the need to get preventive
health check-ups and encourage them to get cervical and
breast cancer screenings," says Dr. Margaret Juarez,
an OB-GYN practicing in Los Angeles and President of the
California Latino Medical Association. "The earlier
that a diagnosis is made, the better the outcome. Cancer
screening saves lives."
American Indians are less likely to have been recently
screened for breast or prostate cancer than whites, and
Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders consistently
report some of the lowest screening rates in the state.
Cancer screening rates are lower for low-income Californians,
and those with limited English proficiency, according
to the study. Uninsured adults are much less likely to
get regular cancer screenings, and adults covered by Medi-Cal,
which covers cancer screenings, are screened at lower
rates than those with employment-based insurance.
"This joint effort of New California Media and the
Network of Ethnic Physician Organizations-a collaboration
of more than 40 community physician associations in the
State-brings together physicians and the media to raise
awareness of the benefits of early, regular screening
for cancer," notes Ernie Tai, the California Medical
Association (CMA) Foundation director of the project.
"Getting screened is a low or no cost preventive
health measure, which can dramatically improve the quality
of life of our communities."
The 2001 California Health Interview Survey was conducted
in English, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, Vietnamese
and Khmer, with additional interviews with Japanese, Vietnamese,
Koreans, South Asians and Cambodians.
New California Media, in collaboration with the California
Medical Association Foundation, is launching a campaign
in six languages to promote cancer screening among ethnic
communities. For more information, go to: ethnicphysicians.org,
cancer.org,
dhs.ca.gov/cancerdetection,
and
iccnetwork.org.
Cancer screening ads (click each ad for a full size version
in pdf format):
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