Cancer incidence in migrants to New South Wales

Cancer incidence in migrants to New South Wales (NSW) from the British Isles, north-central, eastern and southern Europe, the Middle East and Asia has been compared with that in Australian-born residents using data from the NSW Central Cancer Registry for 1972-84. Indirectly standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were low in migrants from all 6 regions for melanoma of skin and cancers of lip and, except in men from eastern Europe, colon. Oesophageal, rectal and prostatic cancers also tended to be relatively less common. Cancers which were more common than in the Australian-born were those of the stomach and, for men, bladder (except in the Asian-born). Migrants from different regions showed variations from the cancer pattern of the Australian-born population which, for the most part, were predictable from the known incidence of cancer in the countries within the region of origin. Exceptions were the high relative incidence of nasopharyngeal cancer in migrants from southern Europe and bladder cancer in men from all regions other than Asia.