Incidence, mortality and long-term survival from prostate cancer in Umbria, Italy, 1978-1994.
OBJECTIVE
Incidence, mortality and long-term survival from prostate cancer were examined in the Umbria region of Italy, for the period 1978-1994. Incidence rates were derived from an ad hoc survey carried out over the period 1978-1982 and from 1994 cancer registry records. The mortality over the period derived from data of the official publications and the survival rates, at 15 years, were calculated starting from the ad hoc survey incident cases.


RESULTS
In the Umbria region, over the period 1978-1994, crude incidence rates from prostate cancer increased from 31.2 to 81. 9 per 100,000 and mortality rates from 22.7 to 31.9 per 100,000. The rates were from 30.5 to 61.2 for age-adjusted incidence while standardized mortality remained constant (from 22.6 to 22.7 per 100, 000). Survival in Umbria, compared with rates from other European Cancer Registries, is low both at 5- and 10-year follow-up.


CONCLUSIONS
The great incidence increase observed over the study period could depend on a lesser completeness achieved by the 1978-1982 ad hoc survey with respect to the 1994 cancer registry data and/or from the screening campaign carried out in a large part of the region in 1994. Different elements support these hypotheses. However the above hypotheses can be verified over the next years when further incidence and survival data from the cancer registry will be available.
La Rosa
F
F
Department of Hygiene, Perugia University, Perugia, Italy. larosaf@unipg.it
Stracci
F
F
Petrinelli
A M
AM
Casucci
P
P
Mastrandrea
V
V
D000368:Aged; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors