Cancer affects Hispanic and Latino people in the United States differently that it does non-Hispanic whites and other ethnic and minority groups, according to the new American Cancer Society report, Cancer Facts & Figures for Hispanics/Latinos 2006-2008. It includes people of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Central American, South American, Cuban, Dominican, and Spanish descent living in the United States.

The report shows that Hispanics have lower rates than whites when it comes to some of the most common cancers, and higher rates of other, less common forms of the disease. There are also differences in risk factors that affect cancer development and in prevention measures that could impact the toll cancer takes in the Hispanic community.

That information could be used to help public health officials and activists devise programs to address some of the gaps, experts said.

"This report provides guidance to community health advocates and other groups on cancer control priorities among Hispanics," said Vilma Cokkinides, PhD, MSPH, American Cancer Society director for risk factor surveillance.

Overall, 39,940 new cases of cancer and 12,320 deaths are expected in Hispanic men in the US in 2006, the report says; 42,140 new cases and 11,000 deaths are expected in Hispanic women. That makes cancer the second leading cause of death, after heart disease, among Hispanics. Still, incidence and death rates for all cancers combined are lower among Hispanics than among non-Hispanic whites in the US.

Breast and prostate cancers are the most commonly diagnosed types among Hispanic women and men, respectively. Colorectal cancer comes next among both sexes, followed by lung cancer. These four cancers are also the most common in the non-Hispanic white population in the United States. But Hispanics have lower incidence and death rates from these 4 diseases than do non-Hispanic whites.

Less common cancers, however, take a greater toll among Hispanic groups. Rates of liver, stomach, and cervical cancer are all higher in this ethnic group when compared to whites, as are the death rates from these diseases.

RESOURCES: Información de referencia sobre el cáncer

These cancers are all linked to infectious agents: stomach cancer can be caused by infection with the Helicobacter pylori bacterium; liver cancer can be caused by infection with hepatitis B or C; and cervical cancer can be caused by infection with the human papilloma virus (HPV).

Measures that target those agents -- Pap screening to detect cervical changes caused by HPV before they become cancer, and vaccines to prevent hepatitis B infection, for instance -- could have a significant impact on these cancer rates.

Hispanics also differ from other groups in the US when it comes to their risk factors for cancer and their use of prevention and screening measures, the report states.

Smoking and alcohol use, two factors that raise a person's cancer risk, are less common among Hispanic adults and youth than among non-Hispanics. Obesity, however, is more common in Hispanics.

Hispanics also are less likely to get screened for colorectal cancer, and less likely to get mammograms to look for breast cancer and Pap tests to find cervical cancer early. Rates of PSA testing to look for prostate cancer are also lower among Hispanic men than non-Hispanic white men.

Lower screening rates may be partly due to socioeconomic factors. The report finds that Hispanics are more likely to live in poverty than whites and less likely to have health insurance or a regular source of medical care. Many also have difficulties with the English language that prevent them from getting optimal medical care.

The report lists several areas of research that promise to improve the cancer outlook for Hispanics and Latinos in the US. One study is exploring ways of increasing cancer screening through use of "navigators" to guide underserved Hispanic women through the medical system. Another study is examining how cultural beliefs and relationships with medical providers influence the health behaviors of Hispanic and non-Hispanic women after a diagnosis of breast cancer.