Danish Medical Journal
Volume 61, Issue 6, 2014

Cancer mortality does not differ between migrants and Danish-born patients (Article)

Norredam M.* , Olsbjerg M. , Petersen J.H. , Hutchings M. , Krasnik A.
  • a Danish Research Centre for Migration, Ethnicity and Health, Section of Health Services Research, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, Section of Immigrant Medicine, Department of Infectious Disease, Hvidovre Hospital, Denmark
  • b Section of Biostatistics, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
  • c Section of Biostatistics, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
  • d Department of Oncology, Rigshospitalet, Denmark
  • e Danish Research Centre for Migration, Ethnicity and Health, Section of Health Services Research, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Abstract

Introduction: The aim of this study was to compare cancer mortality among migrant patients with cancer mortality in Danish-born patients. Material And Methods: This was a historical prospective cohort study. All non-Western migrants (n = 56,273) who were granted a right to residency in Denmark between 1 January 1993 and 31 December 1999 were included and matched 1:4 on age and sex with Danish-born patients. Cancer patients in the cohort were identified through the Danish Cancer Registry and deaths and emigrations through the Central Population Register. Using a Cox regression model, mean sex-specific hazard ratio (HR) for all-cause mortality were estimated by ethnicity; adjusting for age, income, co-morbidity and disease stage. Results: No significant differences were observed in mortality for gynaecological cancers between migrant women (HR = 1.12; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.70-1.80) and Danish-born women. Correspondingly, migrant women (HR = 0.76; 95% CI: 0.49-1.17) showed no significant differences in breast cancer mortality compared with Danish-born women. Regarding lung cancer, neither migrant women (HR = 0.79; 95% CI: 0.45-1.40) nor men (HR = 0.73; 95% CI: 0.53- 1.14) presented statistical variances in mortality rates compared with Danish-born patients. Similarly, for colorectal cancer, migrant women (HR = 0.64; 95% CI: 0.27-1.55) and men (HR = 1.58; 95% CI: 0.75-3.36) displayed no significant differences compared with Danish-born patients. Conclusion: Different trends were observed according to cancer type, but cancer mortality did not differ significantly between migrants and Danish-born patients. This may imply that the Danish health-care system provides equity in cancer care.

Author Keywords

[No Keywords available]

Index Keywords

prospective study female genital tract tumor Genital Neoplasms, Female Europe, Eastern Registries indigenous people register Prospective Studies human epidemiology comorbidity middle aged Middle East Denmark colorectal tumor statistics and numerical data comparative study cancer staging Aged Colorectal Neoplasms Eastern Europe ethnology income Humans Breast Neoplasms migrant male Emigrants and Immigrants breast tumor lung tumor female socioeconomics Lung Neoplasms Article cancer mortality adult age cancer diagnosis ethnicity mortality

Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84901639442&partnerID=40&md5=eefc01d56b799ca5786b5266adf470bb

ISSN: 22451919
Cited by: 2
Original Language: English