{"meta":{"status":200,"messages":[],"pagination":{"max":1,"offset":0,"count":1,"total":1,"pageNum":1,"totalPages":1,"sort":null,"currentUrl":"https://api.digitalmedia.hhs.gov/api/v2/resources/media.json?offset=0&max=1&ignoreHiddenMedia=1&format=json&id=13128&newUrlBase=http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2015","nextUrl":null,"previousUrl":null}},"results":[{"content":"\n
\n

Puerto Rico has lower rates of new cases of lung and breast cancer than the rest of US

\n

Hookah use doubles; no decline seen in overall tobacco use among middle or high school students

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

Press Release

\n

Embargoed Until: Thursday, April 16, 2015, 1:00 PM ET
Contact: Media Relations
(404) 639-3286

\n
\n
\n

Puerto Rico has the lowest incidence rate of new lung cancer compared with all other races and ethnic groups in the United States, according to a study published today in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention\u2019s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.  The report also shows that Puerto Rico has a lower incidence rate of female breast cancer compared with U.S. non-Hispanic white and black women.

\n

The report presents for the first time invasive cancer incidence rates for 2007\u20132011 among Puerto Rican residents by sex, age, cancer site, and region using U.S. Cancer Statistics data. Puerto Rico has similar incidence rates to U.S. populations for cancer of the colon and rectum. Cancers of the prostate (152 cases per 100,000 men), female breast (84 cases per 100,000 women), and colon and rectum (43 cases per 100,000 persons) are the most common cancer sites among Puerto Rico residents.

\n

\u201cThese data underscore the importance of Puerto Ricans getting proper screening for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer to identify them early when they are most treatable,\u201d said Guillermo Tortolero-Luna, M.D., Ph.D., director of Cancer Control and Populations Sciences at the University of Puerto Rico and a co-author of the paper.

\n

The differences in reported cancer incidence rates between U.S. and Puerto Rican residents may be partly explained by differences in health behaviors and risk factors associated with cancers. For example, Puerto Rico has lower smoking rates than all American states (with the exception of Utah), which could explain the lower rates of lung cancer.

\n

\u201cWe are encouraged to see lower lung cancer incidence rates in Puerto Rico than the rest of the U.S.  However, we must remain diligent in our cancer control efforts to continue progress,\u201d said Blythe Ryerson, Ph.D., M.P.H., a lead epidemiologist in CDC\u2019s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control and an author of the paper. \u201cWe recommend all smokers quit for good.\u201d

\n

The full report, \u201cInvasive Cancer Incidence \u2013 Puerto Rico, 2007-2011,\u201d can be found at www.cdc.gov/mmwr. For more information about CDC\u2019s efforts in cancer prevention and control, visit www.cdc.gov/cancer. For tips from former smokers about how to quit, visit:  http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/.

\n

###
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICESexternal icon

\n
\n
\n \n \n \r\n file_external\r\n \n \n \n \n \n
\n \n
Syndicated Content Details:
Source URL: http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2015/p0416-puerto-rico-breast-cancer.html
Source Agency: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Captured Date: 2016-05-23 23:06:21.0
","description":"CDC public health news, press releases, government public health news, medical and disease news, story ideas, photos.","id":13128,"mediaType":"Html","name":"Puerto Rico has lower rates of new cases of lung and breast cancer than the rest of US","sourceUrl":"http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2015/p0416-puerto-rico-breast-cancer.html"}]}