Geographical distribution of cancers of the kidney and urinary tract and analgesic nephropathy in Australia and New Zealand

Abstract

Age-standardised incidence rates for cancers of the renal parenchyma, renal pelvis and bladder and for end-stage renal failure due to analgesic nephropathy for the years 1982-83 were compared between the Australian states and New Zealand, and within New South Wales (NSW), to determine whether these rates paralleled the previous prevalence of consumption of phenacetin-containing analgesics. Whereas little variation was seen within Australasia in respect of the incidence of cancer of the renal parenchyma and bladder, both cancer of the renal pelvis and end-stage renal failure due to analgesic nephropathy had higher incidence rates amongst women in NSW and Queensland than in the other states or New Zealand. Within NSW, the average annual incidence rates during 1973-82 for renal pelvic cancer in the Hunter region of 1.3 (m) and 1.6 (f) per 100,000 were the highest in the state. These high incidence rates coincided with areas known to have had a high prevalence of consumption of compound analgesics containing phenacetin. In an international comparison with populations which had published incidence rates for each of the periods 1973-82, the rate for cancer of the renal pelvis in women was highest in both time periods in NSW and had increased absolutely at a faster rate.