Sammanfattning
BACKGROUND: The composition of the Norwegian population has changed, and immigrants currently account for nearly 14 % of the population. We do not know how this affects the situation with regard to cancer. In this study we present the incidence of cancer in the Norwegian-born portion of the population in order to gain an impression of how this incidence has changed, disregarding the effect of immigration.
MATERIAL AND METHOD: Data from the Cancer Registry of Norway and population data from Statistics Norway were used to estimate age-standardised incidence rates for cancer in Norway in the period 1990–2016.
RESULTS: The study population encompassed 6 703 675 persons, whereof 82.3 % were defined as Norwegian-born. The total rates of all forms of cancer among the Norwegian-born and the population as a whole stayed more or less identical. In the last five-year period (2012–2016), the rates for the Norwegian-born portion of the population were 2 % higher than the national rates, and melanoma and cervical cancer had the greatest differences in percentage, with 6–8 % higher rates. The rate of liver cancer was 3–4 % lower in the Norwegian-born population when compared to the population as a whole.
INTERPRETATION: National rates have so far provided a good indication of cancer trends in the Norwegian-born portion of the population. Since the differences in rates increased towards the end of the period, country of birth may be a key factor to consider in the presentation of cancer incidence.