title: Geographical variation in incidence of prostate cancer in Sweden.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the geographical variation in prostate cancer incidence in Sweden, in particular the incidences of screening-detected tumours and curative treatment of prostate cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were retrieved from the National Prostate Cancer Register of Sweden for all cases of prostate cancer diagnosed in the year 2000-01. There were a total of 14 376 cases of prostate cancer and the mean total annual age-adjusted incidence was 197/100 000 men. There were 3318 cases in tumour category T1c, i.e. non-palpable tumours diagnosed during work-up for an elevated serum level of prostate-specific antigen, 1006 of which (30%) were asymptomatic and detected at a health check-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The difference between the counties with the lowest and highest age-adjusted incidences per 100 000 men of total prostate cancer was almost twofold (128 vs 217). The corresponding variation in incidence of category T1c tumours was more than fourfold (13 vs 60); the difference in incidence of T1c tumours detected in asymptomatic men was up to 10-fold (2 vs 20); and there was more than a fourfold variation in incidence of curative treatment between counties (13 vs 67). Measured incidences were mostly highest in urban regions and in counties with university hospitals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There are large geographical variations in prostate cancer incidence and in the frequency of curative treatment for prostate cancer in Sweden and there appear to be large geographical variations in the uptake of prostate cancer screening.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical and Perioperative Sciences, Urology and Andrology, Umeå University Hospital, Umeå, Sweden. par.stattin@urologi.umu.se
authors.forename: Pär
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stattin
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lodnert
authors.forename: Ove
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Andrén
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bill-Axelsson
authors.forename: Ola
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bratt
authors.forename: Jan-Erik
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Damber
authors.forename: Magnus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hellström
authors.forename: Jonas
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hugosson
authors.forename: Rolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lundgren
authors.forename: Magnus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Törnblom
authors.forename: Eberhard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Varenhorst
authors.forename: Jan-Erik
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Johansson
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012424:Rural Population; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D014505:Urban Population
chemical_list: D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen