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Esophageal cancer in Indigenous Australians in Far North Queensland
Author(s) -
Ho Vincent,
Whiteman David,
Miller Megge,
Raulli Alexandra,
Ombiga John,
Boyd Peter
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of gastroenterology and hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.214
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1440-1746
pISSN - 0815-9319
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1746.2009.05897.x
Subject(s) - medicine , indigenous , esophageal cancer , incidence (geometry) , epidemiology , cancer registry , cancer , retrospective cohort study , population , disease , environmental health , ecology , physics , optics , biology
Background and Aims: There is very little information known about esophageal cancer in Indigenous persons. In this retrospective study, we investigated the epidemiological and clinical features of Indigenous Australians with esophageal cancer. Methods: A retrospective study was carried out on Indigenous and non‐Indigenous Australians diagnosed with esophageal cancer at Cairns Base Hospital during the period 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2006. Information was obtained from hospital medical records, Queensland Cancer Registry survival data and Queensland Health Pathology Services laboratory results. Results: Thirteen Indigenous and 53 non‐Indigenous patients were diagnosed with esophageal cancer. Squamous cell carcinoma accounted for a significantly higher proportion of esophageal cancers among Indigenous (11/13) than non‐Indigenous patients (24/53) ( P = 0.0135). Among patients with esophageal squamous cell cancer, Indigenous patients were more likely than non‐Indigenous patients to present with metastatic disease ( P = 0.0271) at a younger mean age (50.7 years vs 67.2 years; P = 0.0002). There was no significant difference between Indigenous and non‐Indigenous patients concerning their mean survival time from date of biopsy ( P = 0.7834) and whether patients had ever smoked ( P = 0.0721) or consumed alcohol ( P = 0.2849). Conclusion: There is a high incidence of squamous esophageal cancer in the Indigenous population in Far North Queensland. Indigenous persons tend to present at a younger age and with metastatic disease.