A new study spanning over two decades reveals that breast cancer rates are climbing rapidly among Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander women — faster than any other US racial group in some categories. Women under 50 are seeing some of the steepest increases, with rates now rivaling those of non-Hispanic White women. Experts warn that lumping these groups together in data obscures the urgency of the crisis.
A large population-based study published in JAMA Network Open analyzed breast cancer trends among 148,608 Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer between 2000 and 2022. The findings are striking: Asian American women saw breast cancer incidence rise 2.34% annually from 2012 to 2022 — outpacing all other US racial and ethnic groups. Among women under 50, rates jumped 2.88% per year from 2016 to 2022, reaching levels comparable to non-Hispanic White women by 2021–2022.
The study also flagged concerning rises in distant-stage and triple-negative breast cancers — both harder to treat and associated with worse outcomes. Chinese women saw the steepest rise in early-onset disease (4.57% annually), while distant-stage cancer climbed fastest among Chinese and Asian Indian/Pakistani women.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: Aggregating AANHPI populations into a single category masks critical differences between ethnic subgroups and delays targeted interventions. Clinicians and cancer control programs need disaggregated data to identify who's most at risk and act before disparities widen further.
