Cancer is the leading cause of death among Asian Americans, yet they get cancer screenings at the lowest rate among all ethic and racial groups in America, according to the CDC.
“There is no question that cancer should be a significant concern for Asian Americans and their primary care providers,” The Oncologist reported earlier this year, adding that cancer has been the leading cause of death for the group since 2020.
In a recent piece, South Bay resident Yvonne Liu shared her story with breast cancer, and her fear that her Chinese-American friends would shun her if they found out about her diagnosis.
“Worse are the stories of people who have told me this fear stopped them from potentially life-saving preventative care. Four years ago, a Chinese-American friend told me she has never gotten a mammogram. Another declared she would rather die than get one,” Liu wrote.
Dr. Julie Sim, a breast imaging specialist at Torrance Memorial, said she’s heard these stories before.
"I see that in my practice as well as my own personal life. I'm a Korean-American woman with immigrant parents as well as immigrant in-laws,” she said. “It's just not on the forefront of their lives and they're busy trying to, you know, handle life...and there's language barriers...things like that...and also the stigma."
Liu said she decided to share her story in an effort to help Asian Americans overcome the stigma and realize that the early diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer can save lives.
Cancer is the leading cause of death among Asian American women, at 25.5%, according to data last compiled in 2017, with women between the ages of 45 and 64 reporting the most cases. Heart disease and stroke come in as the second and third leading causes, according to the Centers For Disease Control, at 20% and 8.4%, respectively.
In 2009, then-President Barack Obama signed Executive Order 13515 to address the issues surrounding a lack of screenings in the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. Regardless, the disparities in testing persist, The Oncologist reports.
Medical experts believe contributing factors are language, less provider recommendation for screenings and cultural perceptions of medical care.
“Health care providers will need to be aware of these facts, including the profile of cancer risks among different Asian subpopulations, and have the necessary tools to communicate cancer risks and benefits of screening,” the report continued.
“[And] Asian Americans will need to be educated and encouraged to be advocates for their health, which includes improving access to insurance and health care resources.”
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