CANCER INCIDENCE AND MORTALITY IN THE EUROPEAN-UNION - CANCER REGISTRY DATA AND ESTIMATES OF NATIONAL INCIDENCE FOR 1990

Members of the European Network of Cancer Registries (ENCR) provide po pulation-based data on cancer incidence for some countries and regions of Europe. These were supplemented by estimates in order to provide c omparable information on cancer incidence and mortality in the 15 memb er states of the European Union (EU). The estimated numbers of new cas es of cancer (excluding nonmelanoma skin cancer) in 1990 were approxim ately 706900 in men and 644200 in women. Approximately 497500 men and 398200 women died of cancer in the same year. The main sites of incide nt cases in men were lung (21%), large bowel (13%), prostate (12%), bl adder (7%) and stomach (7%). For women, the predominant sites were bre ast (28%), large bowel (15%), lung (6%), uterine corpus (5%) and stoma ch (5%). The overall incidence rates for males were highest in contine ntal Western Europe (France, The Netherlands, Austria, Luxembourg, Bel gium, Germany and Italy) while the rates of Greece, Portugal, Sweden, Ireland, Spain, Finland, the U.K. and Denmark were below the average v alue for the EC. Rates for females were highest in Northern and Wester n Europe, with the exception of France, which had a relatively low rat e for females, in common with Greece, Spain and Portugal. The geograph ical variations in incidence of the major cancers are discussed in rel ation to risk factors. The estimates show the substantial burden of ca ncer in European Union populations, but there are also indications of effects of past preventive measures and there is scope for further int ervention. Cancer registries are an important source of information fo r cancer control since they provide population-based incidence and sur vival statistics. These, along with mortality data, are required to ob tain a full picture of the frequency of cancer and its effects at the population level. Some 44% of the EU population is covered by registri es. The European Network of Cancer Registries aims to standardise the information provided by existing registries and to provide practical a ssistance to those in development. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.