Bladder cancer mortality in the Beograd region

Abstract

Purpose: To describe the pattern of bladder cancer mortality in the Beograd region, and to establish some relationships with cigarette smoking. Materials and methods: Mortality rates of bladder cancer in the Beograd population were analysed according to the official data from the Municipal Institute of Statistics in Beograd during the period 1975-1994. Age-standardization of death rates was done by the direct method, using the world population as a standard. As a significance test for linear regression coefficient in time trend analysis of mortality, Fisher's test was used. Results: During the study period the average annual standardized mortality rates from bladder cancer were 4.82 per 100,000 population (95% Confidence Interval - CI 4.11-5.53) in males and 1.52 per 100,000 population (95% CI 1.12-1.92) in females. Significantly increasing trends of the rates were observed in males (y = 2.414 + 0.229x, p <0.01), but not in females (y = 1.259 + 0.025x, p >0.05). The greatest increase in age-specific rates in males was observed in the age group of 70 and more years (y = 25.473 + 3.633x, p <0.01). In females, all age-specific rates except for the group 50-59 years showed significantly increasing tendency. The increasing tendency of bladder cancer mortality is followed by the rise of per capita cigarette consumption among the Beograd population. Conclusion: Further studies are needed for the explanation of the irregularities in the age-specific rates.