Cancer Incidence in Japan, 1985-89: Re-estimation Based on Data from Eight Population-based Cancer Registries

Abstract

The Research Group for Population-based Cancer Registration in Japan has been conducting a cooperative study to estimate cancer incidence in Japan since 1975. Estimated incidence data calculated annually were accumulated in 1996 for 18 years. The Group has separately provided another re-calculated incidence estimate series which were prepared for 1975–79, 1980–84 and 1985–89. The former two results, each of five years were previously published elsewhere. These recalculated estimate series made more reliable observations of time trends in incidence feasible by using the same eligible registries' data throughout each 5-year period. This report presents results of the latter 5 years between 1985 and 1989; age-specific, crude and age-standardized incidence rates, as well as the number of incidence according to site and gender, under the cooperation of eight eligible population-based cancer registries in Japan: Miyagi, Yamagata, Kanagawa, Fukui, Osaka, Tottori, Hiroshima City and Nagasaki City. Incidence in Japan was estimated at 187 200 and 150 700 for all cancer sites among males and among females, respectively, in 1985 and 216 700 and 166 900, respectively, in 1989. The leading site was the stomach among both males and females from 1985 to 1989. Among males the second leading site was the lung, followed by the liver, colon and rectum. Among females, it was the breast, followed by the colon, uterus and lung in 1989. The proportion of the cases registered by a death certificate only for all sites was 14.0–15.7 and 13.7–15.3% and the ratio of incidence to mortality was 1.69–1.73 and 1.95–2.01 among males and females, respectively, during the period.