Conference paper
Croatian Cancer Registry: Reference for Selestion of Relevant Issues and Application in Epidemiological Studies
Marija Strnad
; Hrvatski zavod za javno zdravstvo
Abstract
Systematic collection of data on cancer incidence started in the US and Europe in 1930s. Today, cancer registries have an increasingly universal coverage. The application of a cancer registry may extend to include follow-ups, cancer etiology research, and cancer control programs. Of course, the applicability of a cancer registry depends on reliability and utility of the data. Cancer registries are best known for their potential to describe incidence, survival, and prevalence of cancer on a national and international level. Although poorer in quality, mortality data are frequently used in comparisons, as these are more readily available in many countries than the morbidity data. Studies of cancer incidence reveal etiology of cancers, through, for instance, observations of differences in incidence between areas, through migrant studies, or through studies of specific exposed groups (descriptive studies). A registry may serve as a referential point for a hypothesis on the roles of diet, environmental hazards, infections, and so on in the development of cancer. In epidemiological studies, the registry is used for correlational studies, case identification in case control studies, as well as to define cohorts, or the end-point of a cohort followup. Recently, the recording of data has extended not only to the anatomical site, but also to the morphology of a tumour, which serve more adequately to etiological studies. However, the assessment of a specific exposure is of ten poor, as the scarcity of cases often forces the researchers to group the data. Registries may also help to link data on an individual level, that is, in the area of genetic epidemiology. This study made use of the Croatian cancer registry founded in 1959 to investigate specific geographical distribution of cancer incidence by site – esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, colonic cancer, rectal cancer, biliary bladder cancer, lung cancer, cancer of the mammae, melanoma, cancer of the prostate, urinary bladder cancer, renal cancer, thyroid cancer, and myeloic leukemia. The objectives of the study were to see how causative agents differed in impact and to define the scope of investigations in cancer epidemiology. The investigation involved age-standardized average annual incidence rates in 17 geographical areas in Croatia for the period 1991–95. Nearly all geographical areas differed from one another in the incidence by cancer site. Interregional differences in cancer incidence in Croatia may reflect the action of multiple factors such as population characteristics, macroenvironment, and microenvironment. The results indicate a need for further studies and invite the use of epidemiological modelling, given the potentials of information technology.
Keywords
annual rate; cancer site; geographical distribution; incidence; risk factors
Hrčak ID:
65652
URI
Publication date:
26.7.2000.
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