INCREASED RISK OF NASOPHARYNGEAL CARCINOMA AMONG MALES OF FRENCH ORIGIN BORN IN MAGHREB (NORTH-AFRICA)

A study on the incidence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) has been pe rformed in the Provence-Alpes Cote d'Azur (PACA) region, South of Fran ce, where Maghrebian migrants represent 10% of the population. During the years 1986-1990, 76 cases of NPC were diagnosed, of which 44 were French by birth, 25 were Maghrebian migrants and 7 were other migrants . We found that 36% of the French patients were either born in endemic areas or had lived there for more than 15 years. Standardized annual incidence rates of NPC among Maghrebian migrants remained close to tho se observed in North Africa, while, standardized annual incidence rate s for French by birth in the PACA region were similar to those observe d in cancer registries in other regions of France and countries of low incidence. However, for males of French origin born in Maghrebian cou ntries, the incidence of NPC (all cases being of undifferentiated type ) was 5.7 times higher than that of males of French origin born in Fra nce (p = 0.0000 1). These results favor a critical role of environment al factors in the risk of NPC. (C) 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.