title: Cancer prevalence in Italy: an analysis of geographic variability.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Statistics on cancer prevalence are scanty. The objectives of this study were to describe the cancer prevalence in Italy and to explore determinants of geographic heterogeneity.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included data from 23 population-based cancer registries, including one-third of the Italian population. Five-year cancer prevalence was observed, and complete prevalence (i.e., all patients living after a cancer diagnosis) was estimated through sex-, age-, cancer site-, and observation period length-specific completeness indices by means of regression models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 2006, 3.8 % of men and 4.6 % of women in Italy were alive after a cancer diagnosis, with a 5-year prevalence of 1.9 % and 1.7 % in men and women, respectively. A relevant geographic variability emerged for all major cancer sites. When compared to national pooled estimates, crude cancer prevalence proportions were 10 % higher in the north and 30 % lower in the south of Italy. However, these variations were consistently reduced after age adjustment and, in both sexes, largely overlapped those of incidence rates, with correlations >0.90 between variations of prevalence and incidence for all cancer sites and areas.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Magnitude of the cancer prevalence and the geographic heterogeneity herein outlined in Italy will help in meeting the needs of specific population of survivor patients.
authors: Registro Tumori del Veneto, Istituto Oncologico Veneto IRCCS, Padua, Italy.
authors: Stefano
authors: S
authors: Guzzinati
authors: Carlotta
authors: C
authors: Buzzoni
authors: Roberta
authors: R
authors: De Angelis
authors: Stefano
authors: S
authors: Rosso
authors: Giovanna
authors: G
authors: Tagliabue
authors: Marina
authors: M
authors: Vercelli
authors: Fabio
authors: F
authors: Pannozzo
authors: Lucia
authors: L
authors: Mangone
authors: Silvano
authors: S
authors: Piffer
authors: Mario
authors: M
authors: Fusco
authors: Adriano
authors: A
authors: Giacomin
authors: Adele
authors: A
authors: Traina
authors: Riccardo
authors: R
authors: Capocaccia
authors: Luigino
authors: L
authors: Dal Maso
authors: Emanuele
authors: E
authors: Crocetti
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012042:Registries; D055815:Young Adult