American Indian Culture and Research Journal

The relative distribution of primary cancers as well as incidence rates by type were found to be significantly different between the Oglala Sioux from the Northern Plains and the Tohono O’Odham from the Southwestern desert. The Oglala had higher mortality rates for lung, cervix, and breast cancer, and the Tohono O’Odham had higher mortality rates for gallbladder, breast, and stomach cancer compared to the mortality rates for the same cancers in the all-United States Indians. Multiple myeloma rates were increased for both tribes. Cancer rates among Indian peoples are usually reported by ethnic groups. For American Indians, these groups are usually combined, and rates are reported under the heading Indians. It appears that if regional tumor registries for Native Americans were to be developed, then distinctive patterns might be expected, proving that individual tribal cancer patterns may vary as much as observed patterns for other ethnic groups of European or Asian origin in the United States.