Lung cancer in Greenland--selected epidemiological, pathological, and clinical aspects.

One hundred and seven cases of lung cancer were first diagnosed among indigenous Greenlanders during the 25 years from 1955 to 1979. Compared with the Danish population, relative risk of lung cancer among male Greenlanders increased from 0.4 in 1955-1959 to 1.1 in 1975-1979. Relative risk among women increased from 0.7 to 2.1. The age-adjusted rate for women during the period 1975-1979 is one of the highest on record. This increase in lung-cancer risk followed a sharp rise in the use of cigarettes in the general population. An association with cigarette consumption was also suggested by tumor histology and location. A synergistic role of other risk hazards is possible. Local factors arising from previous tuberculosis involvement may have favored lung cancer development in men. More than 2/3 of the cases of lung cancer diagnosed between 1955 and 1974 were brought to medical attention because of clinical symptoms although most of the population was screened annually or biannually for tuberculosis. Intervention through screening had little impact on the overall very low survival rate.