OVARIAN-CANCER INCIDENCE AND MORTALITY IN AMERICAN-INDIAN, HISPANIC, AND NON-HISPANIC WHITE WOMEN IN NEW-MEXICO

Although ethnic and racial differences in ovarian cancer incidence and mortality have been reported worldwide, few published data have addre ssed the epidemiology of ovarian cancer among U.S. American Indians an d Hispanics. We reviewed ovarian cancer incidence and survival data fr om New Mexico's population-based cancer registry collected from 1969 t o 1992, and examined state vital records data for ovarian cancer death s collected from 1958 to 1992, focusing on ethnic differences in occur rence and outcomes of ovarian malignancies, Non-Hispanic white women h ad age-adjusted incidence rates that were slightly higher (13.3/100,00 0) than rates for American Indians (11.4) and Hispanics (10.7) over th e 24-year period, Ovarian cancer mortality rates were also higher for non-Hispanic whites than for minority women, Neither incidence rates n or mortality rates for ovarian cancer improved over the span of the st udy period, In addition, the stage at diagnosis did not shift substant ially over time for any of the ethnic groups studied, nor did the dist ribution of various histopathological types shift proportionately. Onl y slight improvement was observed in 5-year survival over the time per iod of the study, with greater gains among younger (50 years old or le ss) versus older women. Ethnic differences in ovarian cancer incidence and mortality were apparent in our population-based data, However, ou r analysis indicated no reduction in ovarian cancer incidence or morta lity in our state over the past quarter century and only slight improv ement in 5-year survival.