Analysis of mortality rates for gallbladder cancer across the world

Abstract

Aim: Ethnic background and geographical location are important when measuring the incidence of gallbladder carcinoma leading to variable mortality rates across the world.

Method: Age standardized mortality rates [ASR(W)] were extracted separately for males and females from a database maintained by the International Agency for Research on Cancer for 50 countries across the world (Europe 32; the Americas 8; and Asia 10) for the period 1992-2002 and log-linear regression was performed to analyse trends in the last decade.

Result: In the period 1992-2002, declining trends in mortality for both sexes were observed in Germany, Sweden, Japan, USA, and Hungary (p<0.001), and in France, Canada, United Kingdom, The Netherlands, and Hong Kong (p<0.01). Austria, Czechoslovakia, Slovenia, Denmark, Spain, and Israel exhibited decreasing mortality trends more significant in women (p<0.01) than in men (p<0.05). Decreasing female mortality trends were seen in Finland, Italy, and Portugal (p<0.01) and in Georgia, Luxembourg, and Belgium (p<0.05). Iceland, Costa Rica, and Korea were the only countries with an increase in male mortality (p<0.05).

Conclusions: Overall, there was a decline in ASR(W) for gallbladder cancer. Better diagnostic modalities resulting in appropriate staging of gallbladder/biliary cancers, as well as changes in the ICD classification and perhaps increased awareness, may have contributed to these trends.

Keywords: Age standardized mortality; gallbladder cancer; trends.