Incidence profile of four major cancers among migrants in Australia, 2005-2014

To compare the incidence profile of four major cancers in Australia by place of birth.

In this retrospective population-based cohort study, the analysis included 548,851 residents diagnosed with primary colorectum, lung, female breast, or prostate cancer during 2005-2014. Incidence rate ratio (IRR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for migrant groups relative to Australian-born.

Compared with Australian-born residents, most migrant groups had significantly lower incidence rates for cancers of the colorectum, breast and prostate. The lowest rates of colorectal cancer were among males born in Central America (IRR = 0.46, 95% CI 0.29-0.74) and females born in Central Asia (IRR = 0.38, 95% CI 0.23-0.64). Males born in North-East Asia had the lowest rates of prostate cancer (IRR = 0.40, 95% CI 0.38-0.43) and females born in Central Asia had the lowest rates of breast cancer (IRR = 0.55, 95% CI 0.43-0.70). For lung cancer, several migrant groups had higher rates than Australian-born residents, with the highest rates among those from Melanesia (males IRR = 1.39, 95% CI 1.10-1.76; females IRR = 1.40, 95% CI 1.10-1.78).

This study describes cancer patterns among Australian migrants, which are potentially helpful in understanding the etiology of these cancers and guiding the implementation of culturally sensitive and safe prevention measures. The lower incidence rates observed for most migrant groups may be maintained with continued emphasis on supporting communities to minimize modifiable risk factors such as smoking and alcohol consumption and participation in organized cancer screening programmes. Additionally, culturally sensitive tobacco control measures should be targeted to migrant communities with high lung cancer incidence rates.