Nasopharynx cancer in Italian migrants

Incidence and mortality for nasopharynx cancer in Italian migrants to Australia, Brazil (Saõ Paulo), Canada, England and Wales, France, Uruguay, and the United States (Connecticut; Los Angeles and San Francisco, California) are analyzed. While the available incidence and mortality rates in the south of Italy--from where a large majority of migrants derive--are comparable to or lower than the other Western countries, the study shows a high risk in Italian migrants compared with the locally-born populations. These results are consistent in both sexes and in all host countries with the exception of the two South American ones. This finding possibly reflects a migration from some Italian sub-areas at higher risk, consistent with the high risk reported for some other Mediterranean populations (Maghreb, Malta).