Incidence of small bowel cancer in the United States and worldwide: geographic, temporal, and racial differences.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the demographic and geographic patterns of small bowel cancer incidence in the United States and worldwide.


METHODS
Incidence data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program between 1973 to 2000 were used to analyze the four histologic types of small bowel cancer, adenocarcinomas, carcinoid tumors, lymphomas, and sarcomas. International comparisons were made using data from Cancer Incidence in Five Continents (CIVIII). Geographic correlations between small bowel and both large bowel and stomach cancer incidence, were performed.


RESULTS
Men had higher rates than women for all types of small bowel cancer. Blacks had almost double the incidence of carcinomas and carcinoid tumors compared to whites (10.6 vs. 5.6 per million people; 9.2 vs. 5.4 per million people, respectively). Small bowel cancer incidence has risen, with the greatest increase for carcinoid tumors (21%) and black men (120%). A geographic correlation between small and large bowel cancer incidence, but not small bowel and stomach cancer, were observed.


CONCLUSIONS
Small bowel cancer incidence in the U.S. is higher in blacks compared to whites, particularly for carcinomas and carcinoid tumors. Small bowel cancer incidence is rising, particularly in black men. The geographic correlation between large and small bowel cancer suggests shared etiologies.
Haselkorn
Tmirah
T
Division of Epidemiology, Department of Health Research & Policy, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. tmirah@yahoo.com
Whittemore
Alice S
AS
Lilienfeld
David E
DE
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002276:Carcinoid Tumor / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007414:Intestinal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000473:pathology*; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018426:SEER Program; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data