title: Estimates of cancer burden in Sardinia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cancer registration in Sardinia covers 43% of the population and started in 1992 in the Sassari province. The aim of this paper is to provide estimates of the incidence, mortality and prevalence of seven major cancers for the entire region in the period 1970-2015.
  
  
  METHODS
  The estimates were obtained by applying the MIAMOD method, a statistical back-calculation approach to derive incidence and prevalence figures starting from mortality and relative survival data. Estimates were compared with the available observed data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 2012 the lowest incidence was estimated for stomach cancer and melanoma among men, with 140 and 74 new cases, respectively, per 100,000. The mortality rates were highest for lung cancer and were very close to the incidence rates (77 and 95 per 100,000, respectively). In women, breast was by far the most frequent cancer site both in terms of incidence (1,512 new cases) and mortality (295 deaths), followed by colon-rectum (493 cases and 201 deaths), lung (205 cases and 167 deaths), melanoma (106 cases and 15 deaths), stomach (82 cases and 61 deaths), and uterine cervix (36 cases and 19 deaths). The highest prevalence was estimated for breast cancer (15,180 cases), followed by colorectal cancer with about 7,300 prevalent cases in both sexes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This paper provides a description of the burden of the major cancers in Sardinia until 2015. The comparisons between the estimated age-standardized incidence rates and those observed in the Sassari registry indicate good agreement. The estimates show a general decrease in cancer mortality, with the exception of female lung cancer. By contrast, the prevalence is steeply increasing for all considered cancers (with the only exception of cancer of the uterine cervix). This points to the need for more strongly supporting evidence-based prevention campaigns focused on contrasting female smoking, unhealthy nutrition and sun exposure.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Budroni
authors.forename: Ornelia
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sechi
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cossu
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Palmieri
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tanda
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Foschi
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rossi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D015995:Prevalence; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D012042:Registries; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology