Lung cancer in First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples in Canada – a scoping review

Abstract

Lung cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in Canada and a leading cause of cancer mortality. Lung cancer also affects First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples significantly in Canada, which deserves further investigation as there is a literature gap on this topic. We sought to develop a deeper understanding of lung cancer diagnosis, incidence, mortality, and survival in First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples in Canada. A systematic search was conducted in bibliographic databases to identify relevant studies published between January 2000 and March 2023. Articles were screened and assessed for relevance using the Population/ Concept/ Context (PCC) framework. A total of 22 articles were included in the final analysis, of which 13 were Inuit-specific, 7 were First Nations-specific, and 2 were Métis-specific. The literature suggests that comparative incidence, mortality, and relative risk of lung cancer is higher and survival is poorer in First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. Lung cancer also has varying impact on these population depending on sex, age, location and other factors. This review illustrates that more comprehensive quantitative and qualitative lung cancer research is essential to further identify the structural causes for the high incidence of the disease.