title: Cancer epidemiology in Central, South and Eastern European countries.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To collect cancer epidemiology data in South Eastern European countries as a basis for potential comparison of their performance in cancer care.
  
  
  METHODS
  The South Eastern European Research Oncology Group (SEEROG) collected and analyzed epidemiological data on incidence and mortality that reflect cancer management in 8 countries - Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Poland, Slovakia, and Serbia and Montenegro in the last 20-40 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most common cancer type in men in all countries was lung cancer, followed by colorectal and prostate cancer, with the exception of the Czech Republic, where prostate cancer and colorectal cancer were more common. The most frequent cancer in women was breast cancer followed by colorectal cancer, with the exceptions of Romania and Central Serbia where cervical cancer was the second most common. Cancer mortality data from the last 20-40 years revealed two different patterns in men. In Romania and in Serbia and Montenegro, there was a trend toward an increase, while in the other countries mortality was declining, after increasing for a number of years. In women, a steady decline was observed over many years in the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia, while in the other countries it remained unchanged.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There are striking variations in the risk of different cancers by geographic area. Most of the international variation is due to exposure to known or suspected risk factors which provides a clear challenge to prevention. There are some differences in incidence and mortality that cannot be explained by exposure to known risk factors or treatment availabilities.
authors.affiliation: University Hospital Split, School of Medicine, Center of Oncology, Spincićeva 1, 21000 Split, Croatia. eduard.vrdoljak@st.htnet.hr
authors.forename: Eduard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vrdoljak
authors.forename: Marek Z
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Wojtukiewicz
authors.forename: Tadeusz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pienkowski
authors.forename: Gyorgy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bodoky
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Berzinec
authors.forename: Jindrich
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Finek
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Todorović
authors.forename: Nenad
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Borojević
authors.forename: Adina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Croitoru
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005061:Europe, Eastern / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D055815:Young Adult