title: Trends in the incidence of colorectal carcinoma in three regions of south Bulgaria for the period 1985-1998.
abstract: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the increase of colorectal carcinoma incidence in three regions of South Bulgaria (a total population of 1,269,464 persons) over a 14-year period (1985-1998). The data about the incidence rate are retrieved from the oncological hospital records of the patients and Bulgarian National Oncological Register. The census data are provided by the National Institute of Statistics, Sofia. The results show that the incidence rate of colorectal carcinoma for the studied period increased steadily from 22.14/100,000 to 37.18/100,000 (an increment of 15.04/100,000) which is almost twice the average for the country. Compared to the baseline year of 1985 the increase in these three regions is 67.93% or approximately 5% annually. The incidence rate in Plovdiv region was almost twice that of Smolyan region. The incidence rate of colorectal carcinoma in both genders was greater than that of stomach cancer. The highest incidence rate was found in the 70-79-year-age group (193.5/100,000). A major part of our study was to find the stage in which colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is detected. In 1985 only 0.57% of the patients were diagnosed as being in the I-st clinical stage, 37.76%--in the II-nd, and 61.67%--in III-IV clinical stages. This unfavorable trend was preserved in 1998, when only 3.17% were diagnosed as having the first clinical stage, 38.62%--the II-nd and 58.21%--the III-IV clinical stages. The 14-year pronounced trend of increase of the prevalence rate (a 2.91 times increment) and the mortality rate (a 2.50 times increment) of colorectal carcinoma is especially alarming. We propose screening of the asymptomatic patients and high-risk persons which gives considerable results in the timely diagnostics of colorectal carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Higher Medical Institute, Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Stanchev
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ananoshtev
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Andonov
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Petrova
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cholakova
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Nikolova
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gerov
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002031:Bulgaria; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D015995:Prevalence