[Cancer mortality in immigrants from the Near East in Australia]

A differential mortality study shows that in Australia, between 1969 and 1983, Near Eastern migrants had a lower cancer mortality than the local-born, and that their cancer profile resembled that of the other mediterranean migrants in Australia. Compared to local-born, Near Eastern migrants were characterized by: (1) a lower mortality from oesophagus and colon cancers, and from melanoma, in both sexes, from prostate cancer in men borne in males, from ovary and bladder cancers in females; (2) a higher mortality from liver and thyroïd cancers in males, and from stomach and gallbladder cancers in females. The analysis by country of birth indicates a higher mortality from lung and bladder cancers in men born in Turkey, a lower mortality from lung cancer in men born in Syria or Lebanon, and a lower mortality from breast cancer in women born in Syria or Lebanon. These differences are interpreted in the light of the available information on dietary habits and reproductive behaviour of Near Eastern migrants in Australia.