[Cancer in esophagus and cardia--incidence trends in Denmark]

Abstract

Introduction: The incidence of adenocarcinoma in esophagus and cardia has been reported as increasing in a number of countries over recent decades. We examined if a similar increase has occurred in Denmark. The study evaluates the incidence trends for esophagus- and stomach cancer in the period 1943-2003 with focus on changes since 1978.

Materials and methods: All data were retrieved from the Danish Cancer Register, which contains information on cancer cases in Denmark since 1943, including detailed information about histology since 1978. Age-standardized incidence rates were calculated based on the age distribution in the World Standard Population (WSP) and the Danish population in 2000 (DK-2000).

Results: The age-standardized (DK-2000) incidence rates for esophagus cancer in Denmark were stable in the period 1943-1977, but then increased from 3.7 per 100,000 in the period 1978-1982 to 6.8 per 100,000 in the period 1998-2003. The corresponding incidence rate for stomach cancer decreased over the entire study period from 21.9 per 100,000 in 1943-1947 to 9.7 per 100,000 in 1998-2003. The increased incidence of esophagus cancer in the period from 1978 was mainly due to an increase in the incidence of adenocarcinomas, particularly among men. During the period 1978-2003 we observed a marked decrease in the incidence of adenocarcinoma in the distal stomach, whereas the incidence of adenocarcinoma in the cardia was constant in this period.

Conclusion: The incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma has increased during the past 25 years in Denmark, whereas the incidence of adenocarcinoma in the cardia has remained constant.