CANCER OF THE MALE GENITAL-TRACT IN CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT

In an international collaboration project we combined cancers of the m ale genital tract among Inuit identified from routine cancer registry systems in the Circumpolar region (Alaska, Canada and Greenland) and c ompared incidence rates with rates in Denmark, Connecticut (USA) and C anadian non-Inuit, We observed a low risk of prostate cancer (standard ized incidence ratio (SIR) 0.2-0.3) and the incidence rate of 7.8 per 100 000 (world standard) is among the lowest in the world. Dietary and not diagnostic factors are likely explanations of this finding, Testi cular cancer also occurred with low rates (SLR 0.3-0.7) although only significantly so when compared with Denmark and Connecticut (USA) whic h have some of the world's highest incidence rates of this cancer, Pen ile cancer occurred with relatively high risk (SIR 1.8-3.0) based on r ates among non-Inuit, The incidence is, however, lower than anticipate d considering the possibility for shared risk factors with cancer of t he uterine cervix.