[Descriptive epidemiology of tumors of the renal parenchyma in adults, in Indre-et Loire from 1980 to 1987]

Abstract

296 solid renal tumors were studied retrospectively, i.e. the total number of renal tumours diagnosed in the Indre-et-Loire region between 1980 and 1987 inclusive. The crude incidence rate increased from 5.4 per 100,000 in 1980 to 8 per 100,000 in 1987. The standardised rates were 6.7 per 100,000 for men and 3.2 per 100,000 for women. These figures being quite high for France. The mean age at the time of diagnosis, 67 years for women and 65 years for men, decreased during the study, especially for women. Patients in whom the renal cancer was discovered accidentally, tended to be older than those in whom the tumour was symptomatic. The percentage of tumours discovered at stage I rose from 29 to 49% the percentage of tumours at stage IV fell from 45 to 23.5%. In parallel, the percentage of nephrectomies rose from 40 to 70%. The overall 5 year survival rate was 43.5%, rising to 71% for stage I tumours. It appeared that patients who consulted in the private sector tended to be younger and were therefore at an earlier stage in the natural history of the disease. From an epidemiological viewpoint, the introduction of ultrasonography in the Indre-et-Loire region and its more widespread use did not produce any change in the means of diagnosis of renal cancer.