Cancer leading cause of death for U.S. Hispanics-study: Cancer has replaced heart disease as the leading cause of death among U.S. Hispanics, likely reflecting the large number of young, working-age Hispanics in America, according to a report by the American Cancer Society released on Monday.
The shift mirrors a larger national trend as death rates from cancer and heart disease start to converge, Becky Siegel, an epidemiologist for the organization, said in a telephone interview.
Siegel said death rates for heart disease have been declining more rapidly than for cancer, helped by better treatments for heart problems such as cholesterol-lowering statin drugs.
