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Objective: We investigated whether there are differences in cancer incidence by geographical area of origin in North-eastern Italy. Methods: We selected all incident cases recorded in the Veneto Tumour Registry in the period 2015-2019. Subjects were classified, based on the country of birth, in six geographical areas of origin (Italy, Highly Developed Countries-HDC, Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, South-central America). Age-standardized incidence rates and incidence rate ratio (IRR) were calculated, for all cancer sites and for colorectal, liver, breast and cervical cancer separately. Results: We recorded 159,486 all-site cancer cases; 5.2% cases occurred in subjects born outside Italy, the majority from High Migratory Pressure Countries (HMPC) (74.3%). Incidence rates were significantly lower in subjects born in HMPC in both sexes. Immigrants, in particular born in Asia and Africa, showed lower rates of all site cancer incidence. The lowest IRR for colorectal cancer was observed in males from South-Central America (IRR 0.19, 95%CI 0.09-0.44) and in females from Asia (IRR 0.32, 95%CI 0.18-0.70). The IRR of breast cancer appeared significantly lower than Italian natives in all female populations, except for those coming from HDC. Females from Eastern Europe showed a higher IRR for cervical cancer (IRR 2.02, 95%CI 1.57-2.61). Conclusion: Cancer incidence was found lower in subjects born outside Italy, with differences in incidence patterns depending on geographical area of origin and the cancer type in question. Further studies, focused on the country of birth of the immigrant population, would help to identify specific risk factors influencing cancer incidence [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: to evaluate if the country of origin affects participation and outcomes of cervical cancer screening., Design: retrospective cohort study., Setting and Participants: all Italian and foreign women resident in the Veneto region (North-Eastern Italy) who were born between 1986 and 1992 and who had been invited for the first time through the screening programme between 2011 and 2017 were identified and included in the survey., Main Outcome Measures: participation to screening was calculated along with the detection of Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia (CIN) grade 2 or 3 and of carcinoma, by citizenship., Results: 96,105 (77.5%) Italians and 27,958 (22.5%) foreign women were included. Overall, the adjusted participation was 53.3%, with large differences among the geographical study areas. The value was highest for Italian women (56.4%), while women with other citizenships showed lower attendance: 45.5% for Eastern Europe, 44.8% for Sub Saharan Africa, 40.0% for Northern Africa, 38.5% for Central and Southern America, and 36.5% for Asia. The detection of CIN2+ was higher for women from Central and Southern America (23.0‰) or from Eastern Europe (17.9‰), while it was lower for those from Italy (11.9‰), Northern Africa (7.5‰), Sub-Saharan Africa (6.6‰), and from Asia (2.5‰) (p<0.001)., Conclusions: cervical screening programmes should identify and face the barriers to participation of foreign women. This is particularly important for women from geographic areas with a high prevalence of disease, such as Central and Southern America and Eastern Europe.

BackgroundVeneto was one of the Italian regions hit hardest by the early phase of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.AimThis paper describes the public health response and epidemiology of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections in the Veneto Region from 21 February to 2 April 2020.MethodsInformation on the public health response was collected from regional health authorities' official sources. Epidemiological data were extracted from a web-based regional surveillance system. The epidemic curve was represented by date of testing. Characteristics of hospitalised COVID-19 cases were described and compared to those never admitted to hospital. Age- and sex-stratified case-fatality ratios (CFRs) were calculated.ResultsKey elements of the regional public health response were thorough case-finding and contact tracing, home care for non-severe cases, creation of dedicated COVID-19 healthcare facilities and activation of sub-intensive care units for non-invasive ventilation. As at 2 April 2020, 91,345 individuals were tested for SARS-CoV-2 and 10,457 (11.4%) were positive. Testing and attack rates were 18.6 per 1,000 and 213.2 per 100,000 population, respectively. The epidemic peaked around 20 to 24 March, with case numbers declining thereafter. Hospitalised cases (n = 3,623; 34.6%) were older and more frequently male compared with never-hospitalised cases. The CFR was 5.6% overall, and was higher among males and people > 60 years of age.ConclusionIn the Veneto Region, the strict social distancing measures imposed by the Italian government were supported by thorough case finding and contact tracing, as well as well-defined roles for different levels of care.