Filipino newcomers to Canada diagnosed with breast cancer at a younger age

Filipinos who move to Canada are diagnosed with breast cancer at a younger age than women from other parts of East Asia or Caucasians, new research has found.

They are also more likely to be diagnosed with a more aggressive form of cancer and are more likely to undergo a mastectomy, according to a paper published online in the Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health.

"The Canadian Filipino community is a growing community and this new research raises the question of whether our current Canadian guidelines calling for mammograms starting at age 50 are meeting specific cultural needs of different ethnicities when it is known that it takes years for a breast cancer to develop," said Dr. Jory Simpson, a surgical oncologist in the CIBC Breast Centre of St. Michael's Hospital.

"As Canada continues to ethnically diversify this new research only highlights and magnifies the need to take on a more personalized approach to preventing and treating breast cancer."

Dr. Simpson said it's known that women of different ethnic origins have different risks of developing breast cancer. When a women emigrates from an area of low incidence of breast cancer to an area of high incidence, her risk increases, possibly due to new environmental influences such as diet interacting with preexisting genetics.

Dr. Simpson said he believes his study - albeit a small sample at one hospital - is the first to look at the incidence of breast cancer in Filipino immigrants to Canada. According to Statistics Canada, Filipinos are the third largest non-European ethnic group in the country. Of the 328,000 people of Filipino origin who live in Canada, many are young women.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and many countries in the world, including the Philippines, are planning a set of activities in line with this event. Everyone is encouraged to participate by helping to raise funds for research and indigent patients, volunteering to help those battling the disease in any way you can or simply educating yourself on breast cancer prevention and treatment.

The Philippines is at the center of the fight against breast cancer in Asia. The country has the highest incidence of breast cancer in the continent and an estimated 3 out of 100 Filipino women will contract the disease before age 75; 1 out of 100 will die before age 75, according to the Philippine Society of Medical Oncology in 2012. This complements the Department of Health and Philippine Cancer Society, Inc. report, which states that breast cancer is the most common cancer in the country, comprising 16 percent of the 80,000 new cancer cases in 2010.

Early detection is still considered the best weapon in combating the disease. Routine self-breast examinations, mammograms and vigilance in observing changes in the physical form of the breasts and nipples are key to preventing the disease from advancing. Other factors in lowering one’s risk are limiting alcohol intake, no smoking, controlling one’s weight, exercising, limiting the dose and duration of hormone therapy, and the avoidance of exposure to pollution and radioactive substances. Also among the many advantages of breastfeeding is that it lowers incidence of breast cancer.