A cluster of vulvar cancer and vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia in young Australian Indigenous women
Date
2009
Authors
Condon, J.
Rumbold, A.
Thorn, J.
O'Brien, M.
Davy, M.
Zardawi, I.
Editors
Advisors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Type:
Journal article
Citation
Cancer Causes and Control, 2009; 20(1):67-74
Statement of Responsibility
John R. Condon, Alice R. Rumbold, Jane C. Thorn, Margaret M. O’Brien, Margaret J. Davy and Ibrahim Zardawi
Conference Name
Abstract
Objective: To describe the epidemiological features of a possible disease cluster of vulvar cancer and pre-cancers in Australian Indigenous women living in the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia. Methods: We identified NT-resident women with a confirmed histological diagnosis of vulvar cancer or high-grade vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN) between 1 January 1996 and 31 December 2005. Results: Seventy-one women were identified; 32 diagnosed with vulvar cancer and 39 with high-grade VIN. Most women diagnosed were Indigenous, aged less than 50 years and living in remote communities in the East Arnhem (EA) district, on the north-east coast of the NT. The age-adjusted incidence rate of vulvar cancer in EA Indigenous women aged 0–49 years was 31.1 per 100,000 (95% CI 13.1–49.1), over 50 times higher than the national Australian rate (0.4 per 100,000, 95% CI 0.4–0.5) for the same age-group. In the age-group of 0–49 years, the age-adjusted incidence rate of VIN for EA Indigenous women was 34.7 per 100,000 (95% CI 15.2–54.3), compared with 6.7 per 100,000 (95% CI 2.0–11.4) for Indigenous women living elsewhere in the Top End of the NT. Conclusion: These data provide evidence of a geographic cluster of vulvar cancer in remote Indigenous communities in northern Australia.