Diversification and trends in biliary tree cancer among the three major ethnic groups in the state of New Mexico

Abstract

Background: New Mexico's population is composed of 45% non-Hispanic whites, 42% Hispanics, 10% American Indians, and 3% other minorities. The purpose of this study was to compare the trends of biliary tract cancer among these groups over the past 3 decades.

Methods: The state's tumor registry was used to ascertain the incidence of gallbladder cancer, extrahepatic bile duct cancer, and intrahepatic bile duct cancer.

Results: A total of 1,449 new biliary cancers were diagnosed between 1981 and 2008. The contemporary incidence of gallbladder cancer remains several times higher among American Indians than in other ethnicities: for men, 4.1%, 1.1%, and .8% for American Indians, Hispanics, and non-Hispanic whites, respectively, and for women, 8.1%, 2.1%, and 1.0%, respectively.

Conclusions: Biliary malignancies are more prevalent among American Indians. Despite a decline in the incidence of gallbladder cancer among American Indians and Hispanics, it remains higher compared with the state's non-Hispanic white population.