Does Risk for Second Primary Gynecologic Cancer Vary by Ethnicity in Ovarian Cancer?
Posted: Friday, December 11, 2020
According to research published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, race and ethnicity may be relevant factors in determining a patient’s risk of developing second primary gynecologic cancers following treatment for ovarian cancer. Gregory S. Calip, PhD, of the University of Illinois Cancer Center, and colleagues sought to determine the occurrence rates of second primary gynecologic cancers among women in Asian ethnic subgroups and found the highest rate among Filipina women.
Relying on data from 18 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program registries, the study included 27,602 women who had been diagnosed with first primary epithelial ovarian cancer between 2000 and 2016. All participants were at least 20 years of age and had undergone surgery and chemotherapy. Among all ethnic groups, White women had the lowest rate of second primary gynecologic cancer (standardized incidence ratio [SIR] = 0.73), followed by Black women (SIR = 1.80) and Asian/Pacific Islander women (SIR = 1.83).
Although all participants were found to have an increased risk of vaginal cancers, Asian/Pacific Islander women had the highest risk of vaginal (SIR = 26.76) and uterine cancers (SIR = 2.53). Among Asian/Pacific Islander ethnic subgroups, Filipina women alone had a substantially increased risk for secondary primary gynecologic cancers in general. This included an increased risk for both vaginal and uterine cancers.
“Recognizing that cancer incidence differs among Asian ethnicities underscores the importance of detailed racial/ethnic reporting and studying interethnic cancer disparities,” concluded the authors.
Disclosure: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit cebp.aacrjournals.org.
