Posted on: Tuesday, June 17, 2003

Data show surge in cancer rate for Filipino men

Associated Press

New data show that the incidence of cancer among Filipino men has increased from one of the lowest rates in Hawai'i to one of the highest, mainly because of lung cancer.

The data come from findings in the Hawaii Tumor Registry, which was established in 1960 to track and study all cancer cases in the state.

In the past, Filipino men have always been among the lowest in cancer rates, said registry researcher Marc Goodman.

But Filipino men are continuing to smoke, he said.

The registry currently has detailed information on the almost 6,000 new Hawai'i cases of cancer each year, while also collecting annual follow-up data on more than 40,000 Hawai'i patients diagnosed with cancer.