title: Cancer mortality does not differ between migrants and Danish-born patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to compare cancer mortality among migrant patients with cancer mortality in Danish-born patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a historical prospective cohort study. All non-Western migrants (n = 56,273) who were granted a right to residency in Denmark between 1 January 1993 and 31 December 1999 were included and matched 1:4 on age and sex with Danish-born patients. Cancer patients in the cohort were identified through the Danish Cancer Registry and deaths and emigrations through the Central Population Register. Using a Cox regression model, mean sex-specific hazard ratio (HR) for all-cause mortality were estimated by ethnicity; adjusting for age, income, co-morbidity and disease stage.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant differences were observed in mortality for gynaecological cancers between migrant women (HR = 1.12; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.70-1.80) and Danish-born women. Correspondingly, migrant women (HR = 0.76; 95% CI: 0.49-1.17) showed no significant differences in breast cancer mortality compared with Danish-born women. Regarding lung cancer, neither migrant women (HR = 0.79; 95% CI: 0.45-1.40) nor men (HR = 0.73; 95% CI: 0.53-1.14) presented statistical variances in mortality rates compared with Danish-born patients. Similarly, for colorectal cancer, migrant women (HR = 0.64; 95% CI: 0.27-1.55) and men (HR = 1.58; 95% CI: 0.75-3.36) displayed no significant differences compared with Danish-born patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Different trends were observed according to cancer type, but cancer mortality did not differ significantly between migrants and Danish-born patients. This may imply that the Danish health-care system provides equity in cancer care.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The study was funded by the University of Copenhagen and Danielsens Fond.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  not relevant.
authors.affiliation: Danish Research Centre for Migration, Ethnicity and Health, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, Øster Farimagsgade 5, building 10, 1014 Copenhagen K, Denmark. mano@sund.ku.dk.
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Norredam
authors.forename: Maja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Olsbjerg
authors.forename: Jørgen H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hutchings
authors.forename: Allan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Krasnik
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology / Q000401:mortality*; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology / Q000401:mortality*; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005061:Europe, Eastern / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D005833:Genital Neoplasms, Female / Q000208:ethnology / Q000401:mortality*; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology / Q000401:mortality*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008877:Middle East / Q000208:ethnology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012042:Registries