Cancer rates high among Hispanics near Texas-Mexico border
The rate of cervical cancer for Hispanic women living along the Texas-Mexico border is double that of the white population in the area, according to a recently released study by the Texas Department of Health (TDH). The study, which focused on 18 border counties, used data from the cancer registry and reports from hospitals and cancer centers.
The study also found that death rates from prostate cancer among Hispanic and white men were similar—even though the rate of incidence for the disease is far greater among whites.
According to the study, cervical cancer rates for Hispanics were 18.8 cases per 100,000 people, compared to 9.4 for whites. The prostate cancer incident rate for Hispanics was 76.7 per 100,000 and 133.7 for whites. However, the death rates from prostate cancer were 18.3 for Hispanics and 19.6 for whites.
The study may indicate that Hispanics with prostate cancer are diagnosed at a later stage of illness. Cervical cancer is diagnosable, but the study suggests that Hispanic women are not benefiting as much as they could from Pap smears and pelvic exams, according to Nancy Weiss, director of the TDH cancer registry division.
Weiss points to a combination of cultural and financial barriers to explain why Hispanic women often hesitate to seek health care for themselves. Hispanic women commonly put the needs of family members before their own, Weiss said, and many do not know about the importance of regular screenings. The problem is pronounced among postmenopausal Hispanic women, who no longer see physicians as in their childbearing years.
Weiss said nurses can help by taking every opportunity to tell Hispanic women about preventive health procedures. “Nurses can definitely let Hispanic women know they should have annual Pap tests,” she said. With older patients, nurses can explain that “when you stop having children, you still need to seek consistent medical care.”
The TDH study compared rates of cancer with rates in California—which has a comparable ratio of Hispanic and white residents—and discovered consistent findings between the states. Weiss said the TDH is gathering additional data for a second study that will compare the border counties in Texas with the rest of the state.
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