Studies of cancer mortality in migrants, in Australia and elsewhere, gave rise to aetiological hypotheses about various environmental factors. The advent of population-based cancer registration in Australia allows comparison of cancer incidence by country of birth, thereby eliminating any biases that might occur in mortality comparisons due to differences in cancer survival rates between population subgroups. Examination of cancer incidence in British, Irish and southern-European migrants in South Australia during 1977-1978, relative to the non-migrant population, shows a high risk of stomach cancer in all these migrants and a low risk of colon cancer in southern-European migrants. Variations in malignant melanoma and in cancers of the oesophagus, lung, pancreas, breast and endometrium are also discussed, in relation to eating, drinking and smoking habits, and host characteristics. The potential uses of cancer registration data for population monitoring, and for research, are noted.

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Short Survey immigrant Gastrointestinal Neoplasms Australia Europe Neoplasms human epidemiology Pancreatic Neoplasms Aged geographic distribution melanoma Environment Great Britain large intestine stomach Adolescent Infant, Newborn male female Infant Child, Preschool Lung Neoplasms cancer mortality Support, Non-U.S. Gov't adult Food Habits Esophageal Neoplasms Transients and Migrants colon cancer stomach cancer Middle Age etiology Child