Cancer care for vulnerable populations such as migrants remains poorly investigated. The Campania Oncology Network (Rete Oncologica Campana, ROC) was established in Campania, a region of southern Italy, to ensure equitable access to cancer care. This study aimed to assess the proportion and distribution of cancers among migrants within the ROC. Data were extracted from the ROC digital platform for all cancer cases diagnosed between 2022 and 2025. Adjusted proportionate morbidity ratios (PMRs) were calculated to compare the most common cancer types between migrants and non-migrants. Among 78,119 adult cancer patients, 2,583 (3.3%) were migrants. Migrants were younger than Italian patients, predominantly female, and largely originated from Europe. Migrant women showed higher proportions of cervical (PMR = 2.91; 95% CI: 2.38–3.54), ovarian (PMR = 1.46; 95% CI: 1.19–1.77), and endometrial cancer (PMR = 1.22; 95% CI: 1.01–1.48). Male migrants had increased proportions of stomach cancer (PMR = 1.37; 95% CI: 1.04–1.77) and hepatocellular carcinoma (PMR = 1.45; 95% CI: 1.12–1.85). Overall, migrants also showed modestly higher proportions of colon (PMR = 1.18; 95% CI: 1.03–1.35) and central nervous system cancers (PMR = 1.57; 95% CI: 1.20–2.03). Migrants within the ROC display distinct cancer patterns with marked gender differences. Higher proportions of gynecological cancers suggest gaps in access to HPV vaccination and screening, while increased stomach and liver cancers in men may reflect differing exposures. These findings underscore the need for gender-sensitive and culturally tailored strategies to improve cancer prevention, and equitable oncologic care for migrant populations. Available evidence consistently showed that migrants face major barriers to prevention and timely diagnosis, with higher burdens of infection-related cancers and lower uptake of screening programmes. Italian data were limited, predominantly consisting of single-centre studies or analyses focused on specific tumour types. Only two population-based assessments—from the Sicily and Veneto cancer registries—described distinct cancer profiles among migrants, including increased proportions of cervical and liver cancers. However, no study had previously examined cancer distribution among migrants within a coordinated, network-based oncology system. This is the first study to examine the migrant patient population within an integrated oncology network in Italy. Using prospectively collected data from more than 78 000 patients in the Campania Oncology Network, we identified distinct, gender-specific cancer patterns in migrant populations. Migrant women had a substantially higher proportion of cervical, ovarian, and endometrial cancers, whereas migrant men had increased proportions of stomach cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma. We also observed moderate increases in colon and Central Nervous System cancers. These findings provide robust, real-world evidence of differential cancer profiles in a population that faces structural barriers to access to care. Our findings highlight the urgent need to integrate precision public health approaches targeting vulnerable migrant populations within centralized infrastructures such as the Campania Oncology Network, ROC. Priorities could include expanding culturally and linguistically tailored outreach to improve participation in organized screening programmes and strengthening surveillance systems. Reducing delays in diagnosis and treatment will require coordinated, multilevel interventions involving community organizations, primary care, and oncology services. Enhanced coordination within existing cancer-care networks, like the Campania Oncology Network, could facilitate early identification of migrants and their management through multidisciplinary care pathways. Together, these actions may help reduce cancer-related inequities and improve outcomes for migrant populations.
Coppola et al. (Thu,) studied this question.