CANCER OF THE DIGESTIVE-SYSTEM IN CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT

Cancer of the oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, colon, rectum, liv er, gallbladder, biliary tract and pancreas was studied in the Inuit p opulations of Alaska, Canada and Greenland, Indirect standardization t o the populations in Canada, Connecticut (USA) and Denmark was used, H igh risk of oesophageal cancer was observed in both sexes with standar dized incidence ratios (SIRs) of up to 7, An increased risk of colon a nd rectum cancer occurred among Alaskan Inuit compared with the Inuit populations in Canada and Greenland, which had lower rates, Liver and gallbladder cancer rates were high, with SIRs of 1.5 to 4.1, whereas t here were no differences in pancreatic cancer in the populations compa red. Dietary habits, alcohol and tobacco consumption are believed to p lay an important role in most of the observed cancer patterns, but for liver cancer hepatitis B virus infection is also believed to have a c ausal role.