Hispanic Women and Breast Cancer

Study: Hispanic women diagnosed with breast cancer at younger age than Caucasian women.
The Houston Chronicle (9/13, Ackerman) reports "Mexican-American women are diagnosed with breast cancer at a significantly younger age than Caucasian women, a surprising finding from a new study that raises more questions about the recent push to delay routine screening." University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center researchers surveyed 22,000 "women in Hispanic neighborhoods in Harris County and found nearly half of those with the potentially deadly disease were diagnosed before they turned 50, about 10 years earlier than the national average for all women." The study "suggests a huge number of breast cancer cases wouldn't be caught at early stages" under new screening guidelines "issued last year by the US Preventive Services Task Force."
Disparate cancer rates among US, foreign citizens attributed to lifestyle differences. The Indianapolis Star (9/13, Berggoetz) reports, "The latest global cancer statistics show that 76 women per every 100,000 in the US were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008, compared to 44 women per 100,000 in South America," disparate figures that are being attributed to lifestyle differences. Indeed, "some of this is due to US advancements in screening, diagnosis and record keeping," but experts at the American Institute for Cancer Research also believe that "differences in diet, weight and physical activity are key reasons."