Cancer Epidemiol. 2025 May 22;97:102838. doi: 10.1016/j.canep.2025.102838. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Puerto Rico, a United States (U.S.) territory with 99 % of its inhabitants identifying as Hispanic/Latino, has one of the most rapid aging populations in the world. We quantified the incidence and mortality of cancer among 85 + year-old residents of Puerto Rico, and compared these rates with Hispanic/Latino populations in the U.S.
METHODS: We accessed cancer incidence and mortality rates (2005-2021) from the United States Cancer Statistics and North American Association of Centralized Cancer Registries datafiles. Cancers were restricted to males and females of age 85 + . In addition to analyzing Puerto Rico data, we also analyzed incidence and mortality rates in nine U.S. states with large Hispanic/Latino populations. We calculated annual percentage changes (APCs), Mortality-Incidence Ratios (MIRs), and Standardized Incidence and Mortality Ratios (SIRs, SMRs) for all cancers and specific sites.
RESULTS: In 2021, Puerto Rico’s population aged 85 + was 108,041. Since 2001, cancer incidence and mortality rates for both males and females aged 85 + in Puerto Rico declined. Puerto Rico’s decline in male cancer incidence (APC = -3.1 %) and mortality (APC = -3.3 %) exceeded the respective decline in incidence (APC = -0.08 %) and mortality (APC = -0.9 %) in Hispanic/Latino male populations in the U.S. However, in 2021, the MIR in 85 + females in Puerto Rico (0.73) and males (0.94) were higher than most comparable state MIRs. While stable in most other U.S. Hispanic/Latino populations, between 2005 and 2021 in Puerto Rico, the proportion of staged cancers diagnosed at advanced stages increased 12 %.
CONCLUSIONS: While significant progress has been made in reducing cancer incidence and mortality among Puerto Rico’s oldest residents, challenges persist. Policies improving healthcare access could help reduce the burden of cancer incidence and mortality among Puerto Rico’s aging population. Data revealing disaggregated ethnicity and nationality beyond Hispanic/Latino could further inform targeted efforts to advance cancer equity across the U.S.
PMID:40408793 | DOI:10.1016/j.canep.2025.102838