Cancer incidence in first-generation migrants and host populations in seven European registries, including Ukrainian-born migrants in Poland: a population-based study

In Turin, first-generation migrants’ cervical cancer cumulative risk rises with birth-country incidence, with a migrant-to-host cumulative risk ratio reaching 4,9 (95% CI 3,5–6,9) for high-incidence origins.

• Why it matters: European cancer surveillance rarely captures migration background, leaving uncertainty about how birthplace shapes cancer risk and whether national averages hide residual risk in migrant subgroups.
• What they did: Using harmonised data from six population-based cancer registries (Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Switzerland) for 2003–2017, the study grouped birth countries into quartiles of GLOBOCAN incidence and estimated cumulative risks and migrant-to-host cumulative risk ratios for six cancer sites.
• The result: Migrants had lower cumulative risk than hosts in 9 of 11 registry-and-sex strata across six cancers combined, while cervical, stomach, and liver risks increased with birth-country incidence; Ukrainian-born migrants in Poland (n=4450) had higher cumulative risk at most sites.