A new report from the American Cancer Society found that breast cancer rates in Asian American and Pacific Islander women under 50 have increased in the last two decades.
While the cancer mortality rates in the U.S. have dropped 44% across all races since 1989, not all women are benefiting from the progress. The report notes that in 2021, the rates of AAPI women having breast cancer surpassed Hispanic and Black women across the nation.
Breast cancer in the U.S. is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women. Nearly 1,500 Hawaiʻi residents are expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2024, according to the ACS Cancer Action Network.
Cancer advocates and researchers say the report underscores the need for biomarker testing, which is a procedure that analyzes a sample of blood, tissue or other bodily fluid to help doctors connect patients with the appropriate treatments.
Cynthia Au, an ACS CAN government relation director for Hawaiʻi and Guam, said there are at least 20 states that passed laws requiring insurance companies to cover biomarker testing. Hawaiʻi, however, isn’t one of them.
“We are currently working on connecting patients in Hawaiʻi with the right treatment at the right time through increasing access to biomarker testing in the state," Au said.
This past legislative session, Hawaiʻi lawmakers adopted House Concurrent Resolution 53, requesting the state auditor to assess the social and financial effects of mandatory health insurance coverage for biomarker testing.
House Bill 2223, which didn’t pass this year’s session, would have required health insurers under the state’s Medicaid managed care program to provide coverage for biomarker testing.
Au said the nonprofit is working on introducing the bill next year.
