OVERALL CANCER INCIDENCE AND MORTALITY TRENDS AMONG ELDERLY AND ADULTEUROPEANS

Trends in the age-standardised incidence and mortality rates for all c ancers over the period 1978-1992 were analysed for 11 countries belong ing to the Economic European Community (i.e., Denmark, England and Wal es, Ireland, The Netherlands and Scotland in North Europe; Austria and France in Central Europe; Italy, Portugal and Spain in South Europe). Two age groups, younger and middle age adults (between 35 and 64 year s old) and elderly (greater than or equal to 65 years old) were taken into consideration using EUROCIM, a data set that includes cancer inci dence and mortality data. Incidence rates increased in almost all coun tries among younger and middle aged adults, particularly in females (f rom an average 0.8% per year in Spain to 1.5% in The Netherlands). Amo ng elderly females upward trends appeared in Northern Europe and in It aly (+1.5% per year). By contrast, statistically significant decreases were registered in France (-1% per year) and Spain (-0.8%). Overall c ancer incidence rates consistently increased in elderly males in all c ountries examined. The largest increases were registered in Ireland (f rom 2050 cases/100 000 in 1981 to 2713 in 1991, + 2.4% per year) and S pain (from 1807 cases/100 000 in 1978 to 2003 in 1989, + 1.4% per year ). Substantially homogeneous figures were seen in cancer mortality in young and middle aged individuals. Among females, statistically signif icant decreasing trends occurred in four out of the 11 countries, with the highest average yearly decrease recorded in Austria(-1.2%, from 1 68 deaths/100 000 in 1980 to 145 in 1992). Non-significant downward tr ends were apparent in the remaining countries. A similar pattern was o bserved in young and middle aged males in Northern and Central Europe (on average, -2.2% per year in Finland and -1.2 per year in England an d Wales) and in Italy. By contrast, in Portugal and Spain, cancer mort ality increased between 1980 and 1992 in young and middle aged males. In the elderly, mortality rates increased in Northern and Southern Eur ope, while moderate declines were observed in Central Europe.