Cancer in American Indian and Alaska Native populations continues to threaten an aging population

Abstract

2 University of Oklahoma College of Medicine/ Troy and Dolly Smith Cancer Center, Integris Baptist Medical Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. A Brief History of Cancer Data in American Indians and Alaska Natives The risk for cancer has increased for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations since the beginning of the 20th century. This population is smaller in size and is younger than other racial/ ethnic groups, having survived the extermination policy of the US government in the 19th century and the decimation of the indigenous population by disease brought by the Europeans. Cancer statistics have not been easily obtained, nor accurate, for this special population. Tribal recognition, self-identification, and sporadic data collection concerning AI/AN populations have been fragmented. Only recently have improved data been prioritized by state health departments and hospital and central cancer registries.