The following sections present cancer incidence, survival, and mortality statistics for Hispanic individuals in the continental United States and Hawaii; data for Puerto Rico are presented separately.

Overall Cancer Occurrence Incidence

In 2021, approximately 176,600 new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed among Hispanic individuals living in the continental United States and Hawaii (Fig. 1). The most commonly diagnosed cancers among Hispanic men are prostate cancer (22%), colorectal cancer (CRC) (11%), and lung and bronchus (lung) cancer (7%), whereas the most commonly diagnosed cancers among Hispanic women are breast cancer (29%), uterine corpus cancer (8%), and CRC (8%). The distribution of cancers in the US Hispanic population varies from that in the general population because of differences in the prevalence of risk factors and the younger age structure (in 2019, the median age among Hispanic individuals was 30 years compared with 40 years among NHWs).2 For example, thyroid cancer is the seventh most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in the general population32 but the fourth in Hispanic women (Fig. 2), largely because it has a younger median age at diagnosis compared with most other cancers (age 51 vs 66 years for all sites combined among women).33

Leading Sites of New Cancer Cases and Deaths Among the US Hispanic Population—2021 Estimates. *Estimates are rounded to the nearest 100 and exclude basal and squamous cell skin cancers and in situ carcinoma except urinary bladder. Estimates exclude Puerto Rico. Rankings are based on modeled projections and may differ from the most recent observed data.

Trends in Cancer Incidence Rates Among the Hispanic Population, 1995 to 2018. Rates are age adjusted to the 2000 US standard population. Cases diagnosed in Puerto Rico were excluded. *Liver includes the intrahepatic bile duct.

The lifetime probability of developing cancer among US Hispanic men and women is 37% and 36%, respectively, compared with 41% and 40% among NHWs, respectively, although probabilities vary greatly by cancer type (Table 1). Incidence rates among Hispanic men and women are approximately 25% lower than those among NHWs overall (Table 2), and rates are lower for every age group except ages 5 to 14 years, among whom rates are similar (data not shown). The cancer profile of US Hispanic individuals resembles that in Latin America because at least one-third of the population is foreign-born (Table 3). Hispanic men and women are less likely than NHWs to be diagnosed with the 4 most common cancers (prostate, breast, lung and bronchus, and CRC) but have a higher risk of infection-related cancers (stomach, liver, and cervix) and gallbladder cancers (Table 2), all of which occur more frequently in Latin America, with the exception of liver cancer.34 However, incidence varies substantially by nativity, Hispanic origin group, and duration of US residence, with rates in some groups approaching or surpassing those of NHWs, particularly among US-born Hispanic individuals.8, 9

TABLE 1. Lifetime Probability (%) of Developing or Dying From Invasive Cancer Among Hispanic Versus Non-Hispanic (NH) White People by Sex, United States, 2016 to 2018 DEVELOPING DYING HISPANIC (%) NH WHITE (%) HISPANIC (%) NH WHITE (%) All cancer types a Male 36.9 (1 in 3) 41.0 (1 in 2) 18.8 (1 in 5) 20.8 (1 in 5) Female 36.2 (1 in 3) 39.9 (1 in 3) 15.4 (1 in 7) 18.2 (1 in 5) Breast (female) 10.7 (1 in 9) 13.6 (1 in 7) 2.0 (1 in 49) 2.5 (1 in 39) Colon & rectum Male 4.4 (1 in 22) 4.2 (1 in 24) 1.9 (1 in 52) 1.7 (1 in 58) Female 3.8 (1 in 26) 3.9 (1 in 25) 1.5 (1 in 66) 1.6 (1 in 63) Gallbladder Male 0.2 (1 in 556) 0.1 (1 in 1,307) 0.1 (1 in 1,333) <0.1 (1 in 2,471) Female 0.4 (1 in 262) 0.2 (1 in 658) 0.2 (1 in 613) 0.1 (1 in 1,257) Kidney & renal pelvis Male 2.3 (1 in 43) 2.3 (1 in 44) 0.7 (1 in 154) 0.6 (1 in 172) Female 1.5 (1 in 68) 1.3 (1 in 79) 0.4 (1 in 267) 0.3 (1 in 306) Liver & intrahepatic bile duct Male 2.4 (1 in 42) 1.2 (1 in 85) 1.7 (1 in 59) 0.9 (1 in 111) Female 1.2 (1 in 81) 0.5 (1 in 200) 1.0 (1 in 99) 0.5 (1 in 209) Lung & bronchus Male 4.4 (1 in 23) 6.7 (1 in 15) 3.1 (1 in 32) 5.2 (1 in 19) Female 3.6 (1 in 28) 6.7 (1 in 15) 2.0 (1 in 49) 4.6 (1 in 22) Prostate 11.1 (1 in 9) 12.0 (1 in 8) 2.8 (1 in 36) 2.3 (1 in 44) Stomach Male 1.6 (1 in 64) 0.8 (1 in 122) 0.8 (1 in 124) 0.3 (1 in 311) Female 1.1 (1 in 89) 0.5 (1 in 210) 0.6 (1 in 163) 0.2 (1 in 487) Thyroid Male 0.6 (1 in 174) 0.8 (1 in 132) 0.1 (1 in 1,109) 0.1 (1 in 1,718) Female 1.9 (1 in 51) 1.9 (1 in 52) 0.1 (1 in 785) 0.1 (1 in 1,562) Uterine cervix 0.9 (1 in 115) 0.6 (1 in 180) 0.3 (1 in 350) 0.2 (1 in 516) Uterine corpus 2.9 (1 in 34) 3.2 (1 in 31) 0.6 (1 in 165) 0.6 (1 in 167) Note: Percentages and “1 in” numbers may not be equivalent due to rounding. The probabilities presented here are based on the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry areas and may not be representative of the probabilities for all Hispanic individuals living in the United States. a All sites excludes basal cell and squamous cell skin cancers and in situ cancers except urinary bladder. Data exclude Puerto Rico.

Source: DevCan: Probability of Developing or Dying of Cancer Software, version 6.7.9.

TABLE 2. Cancer Incidence and Mortality Rates in Hispanic Versus Non-Hispanic (NH) White People, United States, 2014 to 2019 CANCER INCIDENCE, 2014-2018 MORTALITY, 2015-2019 MALE FEMALE MALE FEMALE HISPANIC RATE NH WHITE RATE RATE RATIOa HISPANIC RATE NH WHITE RATE RATE RATIOa HISPANIC RATE NH WHITE RATE RATE RATIOa HISPANIC RATE NH WHITE RATIO RATE RATIOa Acute lympphocytic leukemia 2.8 1.8 1.57 2.2 1.4 1.55 0.8 0.5 1.57 0.6 0.3 1.86 Breast (female) 96.3 132.5 0.73 13.7 19.9 0.69 Colon & rectumb 39.2 41.5 0.95 27.6 31.3 0.88 13.7 15.8 0.87 8.5 11.3 0.75 Gallbladder 1.2 0.7 1.88 2.5 1.1 2.29 0.5 0.4 1.46 1.1 0.6 1.91 Kidney & renal pelvis 22.3 23.5 0.95 12.7 11.8 1.07 4.9 5.4 0.90 2.2 2.3 0.95 Liver & intrahepatic bile duct 20.3 10.9 1.86 8.1 3.9 2.06 13.2 8.5 1.57 6.0 3.6 1.67 Lung & bronchus 36.1 69.0 0.52 24.2 56.0 0.43 22.1 47.0 0.47 11.8 34.2 0.35 Non-Hodgkin lymphoma 20.1 24.2 0.83 15.6 16.5 0.94 5.7 7.2 0.79 3.6 4.2 0.85 Oral cavity & pharynx 10.5 20.0 0.52 4.3 7.0 0.61 2.4 4.1 0.59 0.8 1.5 0.56 Ovary 10.0 11.1 0.90 5.0 6.9 0.73 Pancreas 12.5 15.1 0.83 10.8 11.2 0.96 9.6 13.0 0.74 7.9 9.6 0.82 Prostate 85.3 99.9 0.85 15.6 17.8 0.88 Stomach 12.0 7.4 1.62 7.7 3.5 2.22 6.1 3.0 2.04 3.9 1.5 2.58 Thyroid 5.8 8.1 0.72 21.2 22.0 0.97 0.6 0.5 1.13 0.7 0.4 1.58 Urinary bladder 18.6 38.0 0.49 4.9 9.4 0.52 3.9 8.1 0.49 1.3 2.2 0.58 Uterine cervix 9.6 7.2 1.32 2.5 2.0 1.24 Uterine corpus 24.5 27.8 0.88 4.2 4.6 0.92 All sites 370.2 501.3 0.74 339.2 442.8 0.77 132.2 186.2 0.71 93.9 135.4 0.69 a All rate ratios presented were statistically significant (P < .05). Rates are per 100,000 and age adjusted to the 2000 US standard population. Rate ratios are the unrounded rates in Hispanic individuals divided by the unrounded rates in NH Whites. b Colorectal cancer incidence rates exclude cancers of the appendix.

Source: Incidence, North American Association of Central Cancer Registries, 2021; mortality, National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021. Data exclude Puerto Rico.

TABLE 3. Socioeconomic Characteristics and Health Care Access (%) in Hispanic Versus Non-Hispanic (NH) White People, United States, 2015-2019 SOCIOECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS, 2015-2019 HISPANIC NH WHITE ALL MEXICAN PUERTO