Indian, Pakistani Women Diagnosed With More Aggressive Breast Cancer At Younger Age

HOUSTON: Indian and Pakistani women are diagnosed with breast cancer, including more aggressive forms, at a younger age, according to a study that provides an insight into understanding the risk factors influencing the disease.

The study, published in the International Journal of Cancer, examined the characteristics of breast cancer among Indian and Pakistani-American and non-Hispanic white women in the US using data from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program.

Both, Indian and Pakistani women are diagnosed with more aggressive forms of the disease, at a younger age, according to the researchers.

The researchers, who are part of the Rutgers School of Public Health and Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, reviewed incidence data among Indian and Pakistani women between 1990 and 2014.

"Our results provide an insight into breast cancer in Indian and Pakistani women, suggesting several hypotheses to guide future scientific studies to better understand the risk factors influencing disease etiology and prognosis," said Jaya M Satagopan, lead author and director of the Center for South Asian Quantitative Health and Education at the Rutgers School of Public Health.

South Asians are the fastestgrowing major ethnic group in the United States with breast cancer rates increasing within the population, but little is known about the disease in this socio-culturally unique population, according to the study.

The researchers also reviewed the disease characteristics, treatment and survival data between 2000 and 2016 for 4,900 Indian and Pakistani women and 482,250 non-Hispanic white women with breast cancer.