Low Cancer Risk of South Asians: A Brief Report

Abstract

CONTEXT: South Asians (ancestry in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, or Sri Lanka) may have lower cancer risk than other racial-ethnic groups. OBJECTIVE: To supplement published cohort data suggesting low cancer risk in South Asians. DESIGN: Logistic regression models with 7 covariates to study cancer mortality through 2012 in 273,843 persons (1117 South Asians) with baseline examination data from 1964 to 1985. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Cancer mortality. RESULTS: Through 2012, death was attributed to cancer in 28,031 persons, of which 1555 were Asians, including 32 South Asians. The all-Asian vs white adjusted odds ratio was 1.0, and the South Asian vs white odds ratio was 0.5 (p < 0.001). In separate regressions, South Asians were at lower risk than blacks, Chinese, Filipinos, Japanese, or other Asians. The South Asian-white disparity was concentrated in men but was generally similar when strata of smoking, body mass index, baseline age, and date of death were compared. CONCLUSION: These data support the observation that compared with whites and other Asian groups, South Asians, especially men, have a lower risk of cancer.