Cancer in Italian migrants

Abstract

Migration of Italians to other parts of the world has a long history and has involved very large numbers of individuals. The study of the health consequences of this migration is made possible by the availability of statistics on mortality and morbidity, both in Italy and in the host countries, and of social and economic information on the various Italian communities abroad. The results of the major studies are reviewed, comparing the rates in immigrants with those in the host countries and in Italy. The differences in cancer rates between Italian and local-born populations--for stomach cancer in both sexes, and for cancer of the colon, lung, and breast in females, and for prostate cancer--are consistent with the direction of differences between rates in Italy and those in the host countries. For colon and rectum cancer in males, there are unexpected findings in most of the United States' studies. Analysis by duration of residence shows changes in the risk for several sites in males, but not in females, according to length of stay in the host country. This finding possibly reflects greater stability of habits and lifestyle in females compared to males.