Cancer of the soft tissue (ICD-9 171)

In both sexes there was less than a two-fold difference between the highest and lowest incidence rates. In mortality, the variation was somewhat larger, with the highest rates in Estonia, Iceland and Saarland and the lowest ones in Poland and Denmark.

There was a consistent exponential increase in the age-specific incidence and mortality rates in all countries with increasing age.

The aetiology of soft tissue cancer is not known. The intracountry variation seen in many countries may be due to chance.