[Epidemiology of prostate cancer: recent results from the Epidemiological Cancer Register of the District of Münster (Germany)].
BACKGROUND
Prostate cancer is characterized by worldwide increasing incidence rates, improved survival, and decreasing mortality. We investigated the current situation in the Epidemiological Cancer Register of the District of Münster, Germany (which has approximately 1.25 million male inhabitants).


METHODS
We calculated the incidence and mortality rates, stage distribution, and relative survival rates for prostate cancer between the years 2002 and 2004.


RESULTS
The age-standardized incidence rate was 115/100,000 men per year, and the median age at diagnosis was 70 years. The tumour stage was T1/T2 in 69.6% of cases. The estimated relative survival after 5 years was 83.5% (95% confidence interval 81.4-85.4) and after 10 years was 73.3% (69.5-77.0). Survival was barely affected when the tumour was limited to the prostate (UICC I-II), whereas survival rates were markedly reduced when the tumour had spread or had infiltrated adjacent structures (UICC IV; relative 10-year survival rate 22.1%).


CONCLUSIONS
The majority of patients with prostate cancer now have a favourable prognosis. Increased incidence rates must be interpreted in the context of widespread use of prostate-specific antigen testing.
Kraywinkel
K
K
Epidemiologisches Krebsregister NRW gGmbH, Robert-Koch-Strasse 40, 48149 Münster, Deutschland. klaus.kraywinkel@krebsregister.nrw.de
Lehnert
M
M
Semjonow
A
A
Hense
H-W
HW
D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality*; D012042:Registries; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate