[Cancer survival trends in Catalonia and comparison with Europe].
OBJECTIVE
To analyze survival in cancer patients in Catalonia for the diagnostic cohort for the period 1995-1999 and the survival trend for the period 1985-1999 and to compare this trend with that observed in the rest of Europe.


METHODS
We present the observed and relative 5-year survival rates for adult cancer patients resident in Tarragona and Gerona diagnosed between 1995 and 1999. To analyze the trend in survival, rates for the periods 1985-1989, 1990-1994 and 1995-1999 for patients living in Tarragona were analyzed. Relative survival rates for the 1995-1999 Tarragona and Gerona diagnosis cohort as a whole were compared with the European mean obtained in the EUROCARE- 4 project.


RESULTS
From 1995-1999, relative survival rates were 46.0% in males and 56.4% in females. For the most frequent types of cancer in males the rates were as follows: 76.5% prostate, 9.2% lung, 53.5% colon and rectum, 69.7% urinary bladder and 25.7% stomach. In females, the rates were 80.9% breast, 50.7% colon and rectum, 76.1% corpus uterine, 24.9% stomach and 36.9% ovary. For quinquenniums and for all cancers as a whole, the rates were 35.1%, 40.8% and 47.5% in males and 49.0%, 55.7% and 57.3% in females. The rate for all people combined in the period 1995-1999 was 50.2% in Tarragona- Gerona and was 51.9% in Europe.


CONCLUSIONS
Between the periods 1985-1989 and 1995-1999, relative survival rates increased 12 points in males and eight points in females. Similar values to the European mean were maintained throughout the 15 years of the study.
Galceran
J
J
Registre de Càncer de Tarragona,Fundació Lliga per a la Investigació i Prevenció del Càncer, Reus, Tarragona, España. jgalceran@grupsagessa.com
Puigdefàbregas
A
A
Ribas
G
G
Izquierdo
A
A
Pareja
L
L
Marcos-Gragera
R
R
D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality*; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors