Cancer incidence in non-immigrants and immigrants in Norway

Abstract

Background: Major cancers are associated with lifestyle, and previous studies have found that the non-immigrant populations in the Nordic countries have higher incidence rates of most cancers than the immigrant populations. However, rates are changing worldwideso these differences may disappear with time. Here we present recent cancer incidence rates among immigrant and non-immigrant men and women in Norway and investigate whether previous differences still exist. Material and methods: We took advantage of a recent change in the Norwegian Cancer Registry regulations that allow for the registry to have information on country of birth. The number of person years for 2014-2018 was aggregated for every combination of sex, five-year age-group and country of birth, by summing up each year's population in these groups. The number of cancer cases was then counted for the same groups, and age-standardised incidence rates calculated by weighing the agespecific incidence rates by the Nordic and World standard populations. Further, we calculated incidence rate ratios using the non-immigrant population as a reference. Results: Immigrants from Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia had lower incidence of total cancer compared to the non-immigrant population in Norway and immigrants born in the other Nordic or high-income countries. However, some cancers were more common in certain immigrant groups. Asian men and women had threefold the incidence of liver cancer than non-immigrant men and women. Men from the other Nordic countries and from Eastern Europe had higher lung cancer rates than non-immigrant men. Conclusion: National registries should continuously monitor and present cancer incidence stratified on important population subgroups such as country of birth. This can help assess population subgroup specific needs for cancer prevention and treatment, and could eventually help reduce the morbidity and mortality of cancer.

Patterns of care and outcomes in immigrants with non-small cell lung cancer. A population-based study (Sweden)

“…Our observation of special characteristics of the immigrant population, i.e. the healthy migrant effect, corroborate findings in previous studies [ 9 – 11 , 23 ]. Younger age at time of a lung cancer diagnosis in immigrants may reflect differences in lifetime smoking history, lifestyle and environmental and occupational exposures [ 7 ].…”

Health inequalities among Russian-born immigrant women in Finland: Longitudinal analysis on cervical cancer incidence and participation in screening

“…Study results are in line with available data indicating high cervical cancer incidence among women in Russia ( Barchuk et al., 2018 ). Previous research conducted in other Nordic countries, on the other hand, has led to contradictory findings, that indicate both lower and higher cervical cancer incidence among the Eastern European immigrant women than in the native female populations ( Hjerkind et al., 2017 ; Hjerkind et al., 2020 ; Beiki et al., 2009 ; Hemminki et al., 2002 ). However, the country groupings differ by study, and Russian-born women are not always considered Eastern European.…”

“…Little is still known of the impact of the healthy migrant effect on cancer incidence – and of how long any such impact lasts. Thus far, most studies on cancer outcomes among immigrants in Europe have used broad geographic categories, and variations by different female immigrant groups have remained unobserved ( Arnold et al., 2010 ; Norredam et al., 2007 ; Hjerkind et al., 2017 ; Hjerkind et al., 2020 ). A recent study on cancer incidence among migrants of diverse origin in Belgium showed no consistent cancer burden transition pattern with duration of stay in the destination country ( Van Hemelrijck et al., 2021 ).…”

Global Burden of Respiratory Diseases Attributable to Ambient Particulate Matter Pollution: Findings From the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

“…Second, compared with developed countries, the high population and limited medical support in lower SDI countries can help to interpret the higher mortality of respiratory diseases (32,33). However, genetic differences among different populations and the changing patterns of population structure and lifestyles may also be the causes for the imbalanced burden in different countries (34)(35)(36), which were not assessed in this study. Therefore, in the future, more studies are needed to investigate the underlying causes and mechanisms of ambient PM 2.5 leading to different diseases.…”