Posterior uveal malignant melanoma: Temporal stability and ethnic variation in rates in Israel

In a population-based study of posterior uveal malignant melanoma (755 inci dence cases), the authors found a stabilized incidence in Israel from 1961- 1996. Overall, Jewish immigrants to Israel had a relative rate (RR) of 2.2 [95% confidence interval [1.5-2.6] as compared to the reference population (Israeli-born Jews with Israel-born patents, ie. third generation). U Where as individuals born in Eastern Europe or the Americas experienced the highe st age adjusted incidence rates per million [for example; from 1972-1996, 8 .3 for those from Poland, 8.2 from Romania, 6.4 from the former Union of So viet Socialist Republics, 7.6 from the Americas], the lowest incidence rate s were observed among immigrants from Algeria-Morocco-Tunisia (rate of 2.8) , Iraq (1.7), Iran (3.2). Jews born in Israel exhibited incidence patterns similar to those individuals fr om the place of their parent's birth; high rates were observed among individuals born American- or European-born paren ts (rate of 7.2), and low rates among offspring of parents who migrated fro m Africa or Asia (2.6). A law incidence was found among Israeli-born Arabs (2.6 in men, and 2.0 in women). The stable differences in incidence rates, according to populations of Jews, and the persistence of these variations w ithin the descendents of these populations suggest that underlying suscepti bility states ar e related to an individual's origin.