Advanced Breast-Cancer Risk in Asian American, Native Hawaiian, & Pacific Islanders
HIPIMR’s long-term goal is to develop accurate and validated models of breast-cancer risk and detection in real time for women in AANHPI populations — populations underrepresented in prior breast-cancer research.
Key findings
- Native Hawaiian women have the highest breast-cancer incidence in Hawaiʻi despite favorable reproductive patterns.
- Japanese American women now experience breast-cancer risk equivalent to non-Hispanic White women.
- Advanced breast-cancer rates are significantly higher in Asian American women in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific (15%) compared to mainland US (9%).
Goals
Develop validated breast-cancer risk biomarkers for screening strategies among Asian ethnic groups and Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander populations not well represented in prior cohorts and clinical trials.
Specific aims
- Examine clinical risk factors and their association with invasive and advanced breast cancer in AANHPI women undergoing screening.
- Identify next-generation breast-imaging characteristics from 2D and 3D mammography using advanced AI / machine-learning approaches.
- Identify combinations of clinical and image factors associated with invasive and advanced breast-cancer risk among AANHPI women.