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

BackgroundNew 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.MethodsThe state's tumor registry was used to ascertain the incidence of gallbladder cancer, extrahepatic bile duct cancer, and intrahepatic bile duct cancer.ResultsA 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.ConclusionsBiliary 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.