TUESDAY, April 15 (HealthDay News) -- Racial and ethnic
variations in how women perceive their cancer risk may influence
how likely they are to get screened for cancer, particularly colon
cancer, says a University of California, San Francisco study.
The researchers interviewed 1,160 women, ages 50 to 80, about
breast, cervical and colon cancer. The women's perceived personal
risk for each type of cancer was measured on a word scale ("no
risk" to "very high risk") and compared with self-reported cancer
screening behavior.
There were 338 white women (29 percent), 167 black women (14
percent), 239 Hispanic women (21 percent) and 416 Asian women (36
percent) in the study. The researchers found that perceived risk
for each cancer varied by ethnicity.
Asian women had the lowest perceived risk for breast, cervical
and colon cancers and Hispanic women had the highest perceived
risk.
"This perceived risk was associated with obtaining self-reported
cancer screening tests after other factors were accounted for," the
study authors wrote.
Almost half the women (572) reported either a personal or family
history of cancer, and this type of history was associated with
higher perceived risk for breast and colon cancer. Compared to
those with no history of cancer, women with a family history of the
disease were almost twice as likely to have had a colonoscopy to
screen for colon cancer.
"Evaluation of perceived risk of cancer may be useful to
clinicians who are recommending screening tests and incorporating
an intervention to help diverse populations understand risk and
interpret medical data," the researchers concluded.
The study was published in the April 14 issue of the journal
Archives of Internal Medicine.
According to background information in the study, a woman's risk
of developing and dying from cancer varies by race and ethnicity.
For example, black women are most likely to develop colon cancer
and to die from breast or cervical cancer, while Hispanic women are
at increased risk to develop and die from cervical cancer but less
likely to develop breast or colon cancer.
More information
The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about
women and cancer.
