Incidence, mortality and long-term survival from prostate cancer in Umbria, Italy, 1978-1994

Objectives and Methods: Incidence, mortality and long-term survival from pr ostate cancer were examined in the Umbria region of Italy, for the period 1 978-1994. Incidence rates were derived from an ad hoc survey carried out ov er the period 1978-1982 and from 1994 cancer registry records. The mortalit y over the period derived from data of the official publications and the su rvival rates, at 15 years, were calculated starting from the ad hoc survey incident cases. Results: In the Umbria region, over the period 1978-1994, crude incidence r ates from prostate cancer increased from 31.2 to 81.9 per 100,000 and morta lity rates from 22.7 to 31.9 per 100,000. The rates were from 30.5 to 61.2 for age-adjusted incidence while standardized mortality remained constant ( from 22.6 to 22.7 per 100,000). Survival in Umbria, compared with rates fro m other European Cancer Registries, is low both at 5- and 10-year follow-up . Conclusion: The great incidence increase observed over the study period cou ld depend on a lesser completeness achieved by the 1978-1982 ad hoc survey with respect to the 1994 cancer registry data and/or from the screening cam paign carried out in a large part of the region in 1994. Different elements support these hypotheses. However the above hypotheses can be verified ove r the next years when further incidence and survival data from the cancer r egistry will be available. Copyright (C) 2000 S. Karger AG. Basel.