International comparison of trends in cancer mortality for selected sites

Abstract

The annual variation rates were sought using the maximum likelihood method based on a Poisson model for the purpose of observing trends in deaths due to malignant neoplasms during the period 1954–1975 in 23 countries as an approach towards elucidation of the carcinogenic factors involved. For all cancers, males in 22 countries showed significant increases while for females 6 countries showed significant increases and 14 countries showed significant decreases. Sites in which the majority of countries demonstrated significant increases in rates were intestines, lungs, prostate and leukaemia in males and intestines, lungs and breast in females. On the other hand, significant decreases in rates observed in males were stomach and in females stomach and uterus.

The increases and decreases in annual variation rates for the various cancers are introduced in the hope that they will serve as fundamental data when studying the characteristics external risk factors of the respective countries concerned.