Basic cancer information

Both cervical and breast cancers take years to develop and may not cause pain or other symptoms to alert you until it is very advanced. If cervical cancer is discovered in the early stages, it is almost 100% curable. If breast cancer is discovered before it has spread to other parts of your body, the 5-year survival rate is 97% (meaning that 97% of people are still alive five years later). There are two main tests for these cancers: the Pap smear test for cervical cancer and the mammogram for breast cancer.

Have your first Pap smear test when you turn 21, or sooner if you are sexually active.

During a Pap smear, your doctor will look at your cervix and take a small sample of cells to send to a lab. Some women feel a slight cramping sensation when their cervix is touched. The Pap smear is extremely important for finding abnormalities in the cells in the cervix; these may be signs of infection or disease.

Have your first mammogram when you turn 40.

A mammogram is an x-ray of the breast. During a mammogram, your breast is placed between two plates and compressed. Sometimes this can be uncomfortable, but it only lasts a few seconds and is necessary to take a good picture.

What is cancer?

Cancer is a disease that happens when cells in part of your body begin to grow out of control. These cells are abnormal because the DNA has been damaged. DNA is what tells a cell how to grow and what to do in your body. Often these abnormal cells will spread to other parts of your body and start growing there (metastasis). Each type of cancer acts differently and requires different treatment. Cancer is usually named after the part of the body where it develops.

Why am I at risk?

Two main reasons why you are at risk--especially for breast and cervical cancers--are that you are a woman and you are growing older. Your risk increases more if you have a family history of cancer, you have been exposed to STDs or you do not have any children. Your risk may increase even higher if you smoke, are overweight or do not exercise.

What types of cancer am I at risk for?

Vietnamese women should be especially concerned about cervical cancer and breast cancer. Cervical cancer is cancer of the cervix. The cervix is the lower part of the uterus (womb). Breast cancer is cancer of the breast. Most breast cancers form in ducts, the passages that carry milk from lobules (milk-producing glands) to the nipples.

Importance of Early Screening and Detection

Referral and Screenings

Breast Cancer
With prevalence of 37.5 per 100,000, breast cancer is the second leading cause of death (after cervical cancer) among Vietnamese women. Like other Asian women, Vietnamese women have low participation rate in breast cancer screening programs.
 

Cervical Cancer
According to a 1998 nationwide study by the National Cancer Institute, Vietnamese women had 5 times the risk of developing cervical cancer compared to Caucasian women, and very few Vietnamese women knew about Pap smear tests. In 1992, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that only 47% of Vietnamese women had ever received a Pap test, compared to 91% from a national sample. Similarly, six additional studies on a combined 2,374 Vietnamese women showed that only 48% received a Pap test in 1997 . Unfortunately, this rate has remained the same over the past few years.

There are many contributing factors to this stagnancy of numbers. Lack of information is often compounded by misperception and tradition; the National Cancer Institute report noted that many Vietnamese believed that cervical cancer only befell “bad” women. Other inhibiting factors included language barrier, financial hardship, and transportation problems.
 

Colon Cancer
According to the National Cancer Institute, Colon cancer is the fourth most commonly diagnosed cancer in the US. Vietnamese, among other minority populations, are at greater risk of dying of colorectal cancer because they receive preventative screening less often than whites. While most Vietnamese have heard of colorectal cancer, many are not aware of colorectal cancer screenings, such as colorectal polyp, sigmoidoscopy, and colonoscopy.
 

Liver Cancer
In the United States half of the individuals infected with Hepatitis B, the leading cause of liver cancer, are Asian-American. The likelihood of having Hepatitis B is 13 times higher for the Vietnamese population than for the Caucasian population. The Asian Liver Center at Stanford University estimates that 7% of APAs [Asian and Pacific Americans] have Hepatitis B. This rate is significantly high when compared to 0.1% of Caucasians and Hispanics and 0.5% of African-Americans that are infected with the virus. Vietnamese-American men have the highest rates of liver cancer for all racial/ethnic groups. The incidence of liver cancer among Vietnamese-Americans is 11.3 times higher than the rate for Caucasian Americans.

Although no completely accurate screening test exists for liver cancer, there are effective vaccinations for Hepatitis B, the common cause of liver cancer. According to a survey by the Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum, immunization rates for Hepatitis B among children are very low. In a survey conducted in three metropolitan cities showed that Vietnamese children having all three Hepatitis B vaccinations ranged from 10% to 38%. When childhood vaccinations are ignored or incomplete, these children will grow into adolescence and adulthood without the protection of vaccinations and are too old to benefit from infant programs and school entry laws.

Adults can still protect themselves from Hepatitis B by using the vaccinations, but many adults are not aware of the prevalence and therefore do not inquire about the vaccinations.