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Background: Incidence reports for pediatric lymphoma and lymphoid leukemia in Hispanic subpopulations in the United States are rare. The authors hypothesized that Florida's Hispanic children would have higher risks of lymphoma and lymphoid leukemia compared with non-Hispanic white children., Methods: All cases of lymphoid leukemia, Hodgkin, non-Hodgkin, and Burkitt lymphoma (SEER International Classification of Diseases for Oncology codes) in children (< 15 years) in the Florida Cancer Data System (FCDS) from 1985 to 1997 were studied. Cases were classified as: 1) white, 2) Hispanic, or 3) black, and stratified by age. Age-adjusted rates for the three race-ethnic groups were calculated. Rates for Hispanics and blacks were compared with whites as standardized rate ratios (SRR) with 95% confidence intervals., Results: Seven hundred thirty-one incident cases of pediatric lymphoma and 1231 cases of lymphoid leukemia were identified during the study period. For children with lymphoma, the SRR for Hispanics was 1.32 (95% CI, 1.20-1.44), and for blacks, the SRR was 0.68 (95% CI, 0.63-0.72. For lymphoid leukemia, the SRR for Hispanics was 1.29 (95% CI, 1.28-1.30), and for blacks, the SRR was 0.55 (95% CI, 0.54-0.56). Similar rates were found for the Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin subgroups., Conclusions: Incidences of Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma were significantly higher in Florida's Hispanic children, with 30% increased relative risks, compared with whites. Black children had significantly decreased incidences and risk. Results for lymphoid leukemia were similar. Incidence of lymphoma in Florida's Hispanic children (primarily Cuban and Central American origin) differed from similar reports from Texas and California, where Hispanics are primarily of Mexican origin., (Copyright 2001 American Cancer Society.)

Background: Evidence shows that social relationships play an important role in health and health behavior. We examined the relationship between social networks and cancer screening among four U.S. Hispanic groups., Methods: We used telephone surveys to collect data in eight U.S. regions that have concentrations of diverse Hispanic-origin populations. We interviewed 8903 Hispanic adults, for a response rate of 83%; analysis was restricted to the 2383 women aged > or =40. As a measure of social integration, we formed a social network index from items on the number of close relatives and friends, frequency of contact, and church membership. We used logistic regression to estimate the effects of social integration on screening, adjusting for sociodemographic factors., Results: Among Mexican, Cuban, and Central-American women, the effect of social integration on mammography screening was slight. The odds ratios (OR) per unit change in social integration category ranged from 1.16 to 1.22 with confidence intervals (CI) that overlapped with the null. For Pap smear screening, the effect was strongest among Mexican-American women (OR=1.44, 95% CI=1.21 to 1.72), but also evident among Central-American women (OR=1.22, 95% CI=0.72 to 2.06) and Cuban women (OR = 1.25, 95% CI = 0.81 to 1.93). Among Puerto Rican women, social integration had no effect on either mammography (OR=1.03) or Pap smear screening (OR=1.08)., Conclusions: Independent of socioeconomic factors, social integration appears to influence cancer screening participation of Hispanic women. The modest effect is not universal across Hispanic groups and was stronger for Pap smear than for mammography screening behavior. Researchers should recognize Hispanic group differences in social network characteristics and the potential of social networks to change screening behavior.

A descriptive analysis was performed of the Tumor Registry data for malignant melanoma in Hispanics ascertained by the Jackson Memorial Hospital (JMH), University of Miami School of Medicine Tumor Registry. A total of 54 cases of melanoma in Hispanics was collected and reviewed. Most of the lesions of melanoma occurred on the trunk, arm, shoulder, leg, and hip. Seventy percent of the Hispanics presented with local stage disease; 26% presented with both regional and distant disease. Local stage had the best 5-year survival (87%). In regional and distant disease combined, the survival was better for Hispanics than non-Hispanics (p = 0.01). In addition, it was found that the Hispanics in the over 50-year-old age group did better than the non-Hispanics in the same group (p = 0.05). Comparison of survival between Hispanic males and females shows that Hispanic females have a 5-year survival of 86% compared to 56% for Hispanic males (p = 0.017).