title: Cancer among the circumpolar Inuit, 1989-2003. I. Background and methods.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This is first of 2 papers on the Circumpolar Inuit Cancer Review, an international collaborative effort involving researchers and health officials from Alaska, Canada and Greenland. It covers the period 1989-2003, updating the last review (1969-1988) and together provides an overview of the trends and patterns of cancer among the Inuit in 3 countries and over a 35-year period.
  
  
  METHODS
  Inuit cancer cases by age-sex group and anatomic site were obtained from the regional cancer registries. The sources of the age-sex distribution of various Inuit populations include the population registry (Greenland), and annual estimates and periodic censuses (Alaska and Canada). Incidence rates were age-standardization by the direct method to the standard world population of the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This project demonstrates the feasibility of international partnerships in cancer surveillance, and when these partnerships are extended to other diseases and health conditions, they can contribute to the development of a Circumpolar Health Observatory.
authors.affiliation: Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lanier
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Sylvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Healey
authors.forename: Rabia
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Louchini
authors.forename: Jeppe
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Friborg
authors.forename: Kue
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: Carmina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ng
mesh_terms: D000413:Alaska / Q000453:epidemiology; D001110:Arctic Regions / Q000453:epidemiology; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D006116:Greenland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D004930:Inuit / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology*