Original scientific paper
Epidemiology of Prostate Cancer in the Mediterranean Population of Croatia – A Thirty-Three Years Retrospective Study
Josip Španjol
Anton Maričić
Tedi Cicvarić
Maksim Valenčić
Romano Oguić
Tomislav Tadin
Dora Fučkar
Mirna Bobinac
Abstract
Prostate cancer is a major public health problem of the male population in all the developed countries1. This non-skin
cancer is the foremost one facing man today. Prostate cancer has become the second leading cause of cancer death2. In
this study we investigated changes in the prostate carcinoma incidence and manifestation during a thirty-three years period.
The study included 1,226 cases of prostate cancer diagnosed from 1972 to 2005 in the Primorsko-Goranska County,
Croatia. The age-adjusted incidence of prostate cancer increased from 1.69 per 100,000 men annually in 1972 to 137.58
per 100,000 men annually in 2005, which is an 81.4-fold increase. The percentage of patients with bone metastases on the
first medical examination decreased from 1972 (75%) to 2005 (15%). The most of the patients with bone metastases at the
first medical examination were between 30 and 50 years old. Early detection measures, such as prostate specific antigen
testing and transrectal ultrasound guided prostate biopsy combined with the raised public awareness of the disease, most
probably resulted in an increase of incidence.
Keywords
prostate cancer; epidemiology; bone metastases; Croatia
Hrčak ID:
27324
URI
Publication date:
4.1.2007.
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