Experts in New Caledonia are hoping that a new study on thyroid cancer, carried out by the French Institute for Health Research, will shed more light on the high rate of disease in the country.
A recent paper by Dr Francois Dorey in Noumea, pointed out that the rate is 17 times higher than the global average for women, and eight times higher for men.
Dr Dorey, who's an endocrinologist at the Diabetes and Dietary Education Centre in Noumea, says 50 out of 100,000 people will suffer from thyroid cancer.
There has been some concern voiced that it could be as a result of New Caledonia being at the crossing point of nuclear fallout from tests in French Polynesia and the Marshall Islands.
But, Dr Dorey is ruling this out.
"I think it's not a possibility because in Polynesia, which is very close to Muroroa, the incidence is only 22 instead of 50 in New Caledonia so we don't think it's a reason."
Dr Dorey says it's also more likely to be due to environmental factors rather than genetics because Kanaks are only slightly more at risk from developing thyroid cancer than those of European descent.
He says they want to see the findings of the study, which is due to be published in the next few months.