All malignant neoplasms (ICD-9 140-208)

The overall cancer incidence - excluding all skin cancers - in males was highest in Saarland and Russia exceeding 2800/106. The rates were lowest (below 2100/106) in Lithuania and Belarus. Also in women the incidence was lowest in Belarus and Lithuania (1260-1344/106), whereas the highest rates were seen in Iceland and Denmark (2330-2431/106). In both sexes the mortality/incidence ratio was highest in Russia and lowest in the Nordic countries except Denmark.

The incidence rates in post-socialistic countries tended to be lower than those in the other countries both among children and in the oldest age groups, whereas the mortality rates in the post-socialistic countries were generally higher from birth up to the age of about 65.

Different age patterns are also reflected in cancer maps which for all sites combined are shown separately for three broad age categories. In children the incidence was lowest but mortality highest in the east (maps 0-14; incidence: males and females; mortality: males and females). In age groups 15-64 females show slightly lower incidence rates in the east than in the west while there is almost no geographical variation in mortality (maps 15-64; incidence: males and females; mortality: males and females). In males of 15-64 years of age there is a huge difference in cancer mortality between the eastern areas (high rates) and the western ones; the incidence rates are only slightly higher in the east. In the oldest age categories (maps 65+; incidence: males and females; mortality: males and females) the cancer maps of incidence and mortality resemble each other: in females there is a decrease from west to east, and in males the rates in the FRG, Finland and Russia are higher than in the other areas.

Comment

The overall cancer incidence and mortality rates are sums of the site-specific rates. One fourth of mortality among males in the reference area is attributable to cancers of the lung and stomach, and the overall cancer maps have many features of the maps of these two dominating sites.

In women the map of overall cancer incidence in the Nordic countries is almost identical to breast cancer map, whereas stomach cancer is equally important in the east. The lowest incidence rates were in countries with a short history of cancer registration. However, the estimates of completeness reported, e.g., in Belarus and Lithuania indicate that there should not be undercoverage to the extent that it would explain the very low rates.

Graphs:

National rates incidence & mortality males females
  mortality/incidence males females
Age curves incidence (Nordic , Baltic, Bel, Ger) males females
  mortality (Nordic, Baltic, Bel, Ger, Rus, Pol) males females
Map incidence, all ages males females
  incidence, 0 - 14 years males females
  incidence, 15 - 64 years males females
  incidence, 65+ years males females
  mortality, all ages males females
  mortality, 0 - 14 years males females
  mortality, 15 - 64 years males females
  mortality, 65+ years males females
  mortality/incidence males females

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