Cancer Rates and Country of Origin

Cancer rates vary as a result of many factors and race is certainly one of them. Routinely, studies show that blacks have a higher rate of cancer than whites, but the problem with this is the data is not specific enough. Most studies don't break out cancer rates among blacks by country of origin.

In a new study it was revealed that African born black immigrants, specifically those from sub-Saharan Africa, had much higher rates of infection-related cancers (liver, stomach and Kaposi sarcoma) than blacks born in the United States.They also had higher rates of blood cancers (leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma), prostate cancer and, in females, thyroid cancers. The factors that influence cancers can also be environmental, so breaking out the data based on country of origin can only provide more information, which hopefully will lead to better treatments.