Click here to download the entire The Economic Impact of the Hispanic Population on Long Island as a printable PDF
A forthcoming report in the medical journal Cancer makes the case that immigrants are about a third as likely to report family histories of cancer as their US-born counterparts, putting immigrants at risk not receiving cancer screenings and preventative measures, and of later discovery of cancer (when treatment is more difficult and less effective).
The authors of the study have several hypotheses about why immigrants are less likely to report family histories of cancer.
From the study:
"Some immigrants might not have a family history of cancer even though they have a genetic disposition for cancer, in part, because they are from countries in which people are more likely to die at a relatively young age of causes other than cancer, and are not exposed to the same degree of behavioral and environmental risk for the disease. In addition, due to under-diagnosis of cancer in many immigrants' countries of origin, lack of awareness of familial risk, and communication barriers in families, foreign-born patients may not be aware of their true family history of cancer."
Though numerous studies have looked at whether ethnic or socio-economic background affects rates of reporting family histories of cancer, this is the first study to look at immigration status as a factor.
The conclusion of the study is the most interesting part. It recommends that physicians treating immigrants not rely so heavily on family history (or, more likely, the lack thereof) as a leading indicator of the probability a patient may develop cancer in the future.
In so many situations, immigrants are blamed for lack of knowledge, be it of, say, the English language or of American customs. In providing healthcare to all comers, it's nice to see physicians advising one another to be culturally and politically sensitive in order to provide the best care possible to their patients.