Cancer mortality in ethnic South Asian migrants in England and Wales (1993-2003): Patterns in the overall population and in first and subsequent generations

Abstract

Background:Cancer mortality has been examined among ethnic South Asian migrants in England and Wales, but not by generation of migration.Methods:Using South Asian mortality records, identified by a name-recognition algorithm, and census information, age-standardised rates among South Asians, and South Asian vs non-South Asian rate ratios, were calculated.Results and conclusions:All- cancer rates in ethnic South Asians were half of those in non-South Asians in first-generation (all-cancer-standardised mortality ratio (SMR) in males 0.51 and in females 0.56) and subsequent-generation South Asians (SMR in males 0.43 and in females 0.36). The higher mortality in first-generation South Asians for liver (both sexes), oral cavity and gallbladder cancer (females), particularly marked among Bangladeshis, was reduced in subsequent generations. © 2010 Cancer Research UK All rights reserved.