Patterns of neoplasm mortality and incidence rates in the Central European countries: guide for better targeting of the prevention and screening

Klara Hulikova Tesarkova, Charles University in Prague

European countries have experienced mortality decrease from the cardiovascular diseases, the Central European countries undergo this process during the last decades. However, mortality from neoplasms has not decreased with the same pace. The main goal of the paper is to present the effect of preventive screening on incidence and mortality rates of selected causes of death (from malignant neoplasms). Development of mortality is described above all using the age-specific mortality rates and decomposition of the change of life expectancy. It is shown, that the mortality patterns differ among the analyzed countries and for various causes. In some Central European countries, mortality from lung cancer has increased recently, specifically for females. In the meantime, mortality from other causes (e.g. breast cancer) decreased significantly in the same countries (e.g. Czech Republic). However, the effect of prevention cannot be studied using only the mortality rates. That is why also the analysis of incidence is included in the study. The age-specific incidence rates from various selected diseases could reveal better the effect of prevention and its targeting. Using data from the case study (Czech National Cancer Registry) it was shown, that in case of breast cancer the incidence rates decreased above all for the most serious 4th clinical stage of the disease and at ages covered by the preventive screening. The incidence rates for the 1st clinical stage has increased. In case of lung cancer, there are no targeted preventive programs in the Czech Republic. Currently, the incidence rates of the lung cancer in the most serious 4th clinical stage increased, above all as a consequence of the changes of female’s lifestyle and smoking habits during the 20th century. It revealed a potential target group for a preventive program of this disease: females aged 50 and more, smokers or persons with a genetic predisposition.