Abstract
The autopsy data from 1928 to 1972 from the Pathology Department of the Wilhelminen Hospital have been evaluated. During this period 1,296 cases of carcinoma of the large intestine were observed. The incidence rate of colorectal carcinoma has been steadily increasing, and during the past 30 years the rate has doubled. The relative proportion of colon to rectum carcinoma (2:1) has remained remarkably constant during all this period. It is shown that different sections of the large intestine have significantly different rates of occurrence of the carcinoma. The character of the frequency-site distribution is identical for the two sexes and has remained unchanged over the past 4–5 decades. Whereas the average incidence rate (per 100,000) for the population under 55 has remained practically unchanged, there has been an increase in the rate of incidence for the higher age groups of both sexes. The importance of the multiple primary cancers is pointed out.