Chien-Chi Huang, an Asian American woman, was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer at the age of 40 after her first mammogram. Since 2000, breast cancer incidence among Asian American and Pacific Islander women under 50 has increased by 50%. Factors contributing to this increase include the adoption of Westernized lifestyles, such as delayed childbearing and changes in diet and alcohol consumption. Women with dense breasts, common among Asian women due to genetic factors, are at higher risk for developing breast cancer. Immigrant Asian women in the U.S. are more likely to develop breast cancer, possibly due to higher socioeconomic status and education levels. There are disparities in breast cancer rates among different Asian ethnic groups, with Korean, Chinese, Filipina, and South Asian American women facing the highest risk. Younger Asian American women have seen a rise in obesity rates and exposure to environmental chemicals, potentially increasing their vulnerability to cancer. Stress, work, and discrimination may also play a role in the development of breast cancer in Asian women. Disaggregating data and conducting long-term studies on individual ethnic subgroups within the Asian American community is crucial to understanding the causes of the rapid rise in breast cancer among Asian women and improving screening and prevention efforts.
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