In an international collaboration, cancers of the buccal cavity and ph
arynx were combined from cancer registries in the Circumpolar region,
including Alaska, Canada and Greenland. Low risk of cancers of the lip
(SIR 0.2) was observed among Inuit. Increased risk of cancer of the t
ongue and oral cancer (SLR 2.5) were observed among Greenlandic Inuit
men, Salivary gland cancer and nasopharyngeal cancer occur among Inuit
with rates among the highest in the world, Environmental factors (EBV
, diet) and a genetically susceptible population are believed to play
a role.