Nasopharyngeal cancer mortality in disaggregated Asian and non-Asian Americans

George A Hung; Sanah Vohra; Gina Kim; Armaan Jamal; Malathi Srinivasan; Robert J Huang; Gloria Kim; Latha Palaniappan; A Dimitrios Colevas

doi:10.1002/hed.27857

Nasopharyngeal cancer mortality in disaggregated Asian and non-Asian Americans

Head Neck. 2024 Jul 18. doi: 10.1002/hed.27857. Online ahead of print.

Authors

George A Hung^{1

2

3}, Sanah Vohra^{1

4

5}, Gina Kim^{1

6}, Armaan Jamal^{1

7}, Malathi Srinivasan^{1

8}, Robert J Huang^{1

9}, Gloria Kim^{1

10}, Latha Palaniappan^{1

10}, A Dimitrios Colevas^{1

11}

Affiliations

¹ Stanford Center for Asian Health Research and Education, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
² Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA.
³ Rice University, Houston, Texas, USA.
⁴ David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
⁵ Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
⁶ Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
⁷ Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
⁸ Division of Primary Care and Population Health, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
⁹ Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
¹⁰ Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
¹¹ Division of Medical Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.

PMID: 39022914
DOI: 10.1002/hed.27857

Abstract

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) mortality varies based on multiple risk factors. While NPC mortality is higher in Asia, little is known about Asian subgroups in the United States (US).

Methods: Using the 2005-2020 National Vital Statistics System, we examined NPC mortality by age, race (non-Hispanic black, Hispanic white (HW), non-Hispanic white (NHW), Chinese, Filipino, Asian Indian, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese), sex, and nativity (Untied States or foreign-born).

Results: Upon disaggregation, Chinese (1.96 [CI: 1.78-2.16]), Filipino (0.68 [0.68-1.11]), and Vietnamese Americans (0.68 [0.52-1.10]) had the top age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMR per 100 000 person-years). Foreign-born Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipinos, Asian Indians, and NHW had higher AAMRs compared to US-born persons. All male groups had higher AAMR compared to females. Stratifying for race, nativity, and sex, foreign-born Chinese males (4.09 [3.79-4.40]) had the highest AAMR.

Conclusion: These findings demonstrate the importance of disaggregating NPC mortality data by Asian subgroups, providing valuable insights for targeted public health interventions in the United States.

Keywords: Asian; disaggregated; mortality; nasopharyngeal cancer.