Inuit Are Protected Against Prostate Cancer

Incidence and mortality rates for prostate cancer are reported to be low among Inuit, but this finding must be additionally supported given the difficulty of obtaining a precise medical diagnosis in the Arctic. We conducted an autopsy study in 1990–1994 among 61 deceased males representative of all...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention biomarkers & prevention, 2003-09, Vol.12 (9), p.926-927
Main Authors: DEWAILLY, Eric, MULVAD, Gert, PEDERSEN, Henning Sloth, HANSEN, Jens C, BEHRENDT, Nille, HANSEN, Jens Peter
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Biological and medical sciences
Diet
Fatty Acids, Omega-3 - analysis
Greenland - epidemiology
Humans
Incidence
Inuits - genetics
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Nephrology. Urinary tract diseases
Prevalence
Prostatic Neoplasms - epidemiology
Prostatic Neoplasms - mortality
Prostatic Neoplasms - pathology
Retrospective Studies
Selenium - analysis
Tumors of the urinary system
Urinary tract. Prostate gland
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Summary:Incidence and mortality rates for prostate cancer are reported to be low among Inuit, but this finding must be additionally supported given the difficulty of obtaining a precise medical diagnosis in the Arctic. We conducted an autopsy study in 1990–1994 among 61 deceased males representative of all deaths occurring in Greenland and found only one invasive prostate cancer. Histological data were available for 27 autopsies and revealed no latent carcinoma. Our results suggest that in situ carcinoma is rare among Inuit and that their traditional diet, which is rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and selenium, may be an important protective factor.
ISSN:1055-9965
1538-7755