Time trends in cancer mortality in central Serbia.
OBJECTIVE
To examine cancer mortality trends in Central Serbia (1985-2002).


METHODS
Cancer mortality rates were based on the official death certificates (n=192849). They were standardized for age and sex.


RESULTS
In the observed period, mortality rates showed a tendency to increase in both males (y = 118.54 + 2.27x, p = 0.0001) and females (y = 83.32 + 1.02x, p = 0.0001). Mortality of lung cancer increased in both sexes (y = 32.38 + 0.86x, p < 0.001 for males, y = 6.25 + 0.25y, p < 0.001 for females), as did colorectal cancer (y = 10.87 + 033x, p < 0.001 for males, y = 8.51 + 0.09x, p < 0.05 for females). Breast cancer mortality rates increased (y = 14.48 + 0.35x, p = 0.0001), and so did cervical cancer (y = 5.14 + 0.14x, p < 0.01). Mortality of gastric cancer in males has been moderately decreasing after 1990s (y(19902002) = 13.67-0.20x, p < 0.01), while prostate cancer mortality remained relatively stable.


CONCLUSIONS
Increasing cancer mortality trends in the last 18 years in Central Serbia indicate the extremely urgent needs for health authorities to adopt measures of cancer prevention that proved effective in other countries.
Markovic-Denic
Ljiljana
L
Institute of Epidemiology Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Serbia & Montenegro. denic@eunet.yu
Zivkovic
Snezana
S
Sipetic
Sandra
S
Vlajinac
Hristina
H
Kocev
Nikola
N
Marinkovic
Jelena
J
D000367:Age Factors; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality; D003644:Death Certificates; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D009026:Mortality / Q000639:trends*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality; D015022:Yugoslavia / Q000453:epidemiology