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Review
. 2023 Dec;82(1):2184749.
doi: 10.1080/22423982.2023.2184749.

Elevated colorectal cancer incidence among American Indian/Alaska Native persons in Alaska compared to other populations worldwide

Donald Haverkamp  1 , Diana Redwood  2 , Elena Roik  2 , Stephen Vindigni  3   4 , Timothy Thomas  5
Affiliations
Review

Elevated colorectal cancer incidence among American Indian/Alaska Native persons in Alaska compared to other populations worldwide

Donald Haverkamp et al. Int J Circumpolar Health. 2023 Dec.

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cancer worldwide; incidence varies greatly by country and racial group. We compared 2018 American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) CRC incidence rates in Alaska to other Tribal, racial, and international population rates. AI/AN persons in Alaska had the highest CRC incidence rate among US Tribal and racial groups (61.9/100,000 in 2018). AI/AN persons in Alaska also had higher rates than those reported for any other country in the world in 2018 except for Hungary, where males had a higher CRC incidence rate than AI/AN males in Alaska (70.6/100,000 and 63.6/100,000 respectively). This review of CRC incidence rates from populations in the United States and worldwide showed that AI/AN persons in Alaska had the highest documented incidence rate of CRC in the world in 2018. It is important to inform health systems serving AI/AN persons in Alaska about policies and interventions that can support CRC screening to reduce the burden of this disease.

Keywords: American Indian; cancer surveillance; colon cancer; colorectal cancer; health disparities; Native American; Alaska Native.

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Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Map of United StatesIndian health service regions.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Trends in colorectal cancer incidence rates, American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) persons and White persons, Alaska, 1999–2018.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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