THE INCIDENCE OF COLON, BREAST AND PROSTATE-CANCER IN ITALIAN MIGRANTS TO VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA

The incidence of cancers of the colon, breast and prostate in Australi an and Italian born residents of Victoria, Australia were compared wit h the incidence of these cancers in Italy. Italian migrants' rates wer e between those of the Australian born and those from Italian cancer r egistries. Italian migrants' rates for colon cancer (males 23.1 and fe males 15.8 per 100 000) differed from rates in Ragusa (males 12.1 and females 10.4 per 100 000) but not from rates in Parma or Varese. The m igrants' breast cancer rate was similar to the rate in Ragusans (48.7 vs 46.7) and their prostate cancer rate of 27.3 was higher than all It alian registries. Modelling identified that Italian migrants' rates by age were intermediate to Australian and Italian rates, but indistingu ishable from cancer rates in Ragusa, except for colon cancer which dem onstrated an interaction with age.