Cancer in the Caribbean:



The incidence and the mortality rates of cancers of the breast, prostate, large bowel, and lung, and among males bladder cancer were lower in the Caribbean countries than in the United States. Caribbean countries had higher rates of cancers of the cervix, esophagus, liver, and stomach. Haiti had the highest incidence and mortality rates of cervix and liver cancers. Jamaica and Haiti had the highest rates of stomach cancer.

 

The Breast You Save May Be Your Own

• Do your monthly breast self exam

• Do your yearly clinical exams

• Do your yearly mammograms...

        The Breast You Save May Be Your Own

• Do your monthly breast self exam

• Do  your yearly clinical exams

• Do your annual mammograms

         

Nearly 10% of immigrants to the United States come from the Caribbean region

Cancer incidence and mortality in the Caribbean generally follow known patterns of association with economic development, infectious agents, and racial/ethnic origin

BREAST CANCER
African-American / Caribbean

• Breast cancer is, after lung cancer, the second leading cause of cancer death among black women.
• Although black women in New York City have a lower incidence rate of breast cancer than white women (81.8 versus 105.8 per 100,000), black women are dying more frequently from this disease (34% versus 27%). These numbers highlight health disparities and limited access to medical care that prevent black women from being screened regularly to increase their survivability.
• Obesity is associated with an increased risk of several chronic diseases, including breast cancer. In 1998, 64% of black women were considered overweight.
• In 1997, African-American women aged 50 and older who reported receiving a mammogram within two years prior to questioning had increased to 76.1%.
• http://www.med.nyu.edu/cih/cancer/stats.html

CERVICAL CANCER
African-American / Caribbean

• Compared with the national SEER rates, black US-born and Haitian women living in Brooklyn, NY had higher rates of invasive cervical cancer than all other ethnic groups.
• Invasive cervical cancer was diagnosed in more advanced stages in Haitian and English-speaking Caribbean immigrants than in US born black women in Brooklyn, NY.
• Late stage cervical cancer diagnoses decrease from 7.2% to 5.5% in whites between 1976-1990, while for black women it increased from 8.7% to 13.6% during the same period.

Facts About Women of Color and Breast Cancer

The best method of protection is early detection.
If you have no insurance you can get a free mammogram, they are available for free to everyone,
Ladies remind your husbands and boyfriends to check their breasts when you do and report any changes they see in their breasts because ... men can get Breast Cancer too

• One of the most common cancers is Breast Cancer.
  It is only surpassed by the number one culprit Lung Cancer.
  
  
• More than 217, 000 people will be affected by Breast Cancer this year. 
  
  
• Every 2 minutes a woman is diagnosed with Breast Cancer.
  
  
• Every 13 minutes, because of Breast Cancer, one woman’s life is over.
  
  
• 20, 000 newly diagnosed cases are expected to occur among black women.
  
  
• 5,700 Black Women will die because of breast cancer.
  
  
• Black Women 5 year survival rate is 74%. compared to white women whose survival rate is 88%.
  
  
• Scientists still don’t know why Breast Cancer affects black women differently to White Women.
  
  
• There’s a higher incidence of Breast Cancer in black women as compared to white women.
  
  
• Black Women are more likely to be diagnosed with much larger tumors.
  
  
• Tthey are also more likely to be diagnosed with more advanced stages of Breast Cancer.
  
  
• Among women under 45 Black Women have a higher incidence of this disease.
  And this is compared to the incidences among all women.
  
  
• The risk of Breast Cancer for all women increases with age.
  
  
• Yearly mammograms and monthly self- exams help to discover it at an early stage.
  
  
• Women between the age of 20-30 should have a mammogram every 3 years.
  Be familiar with your breasts so you’ll notice any changes occurring there.
  
  
• Report any changes that you find to your doctor without delay.