Cancer in Costa Rica

Abstract

Data from the national tumor registry of Costa Rica for the years 1979-1983 have been used to calculate incidence rates for the major cancer sites by age, sex, urban-rural residence, and geographic region. Recent trends in mortality rates are also presented. Results are compared with data from elsewhere in Latin America, U.S.A., Europe, and Japan. Stomach cancer is the most frequent neoplasm in Costa Rica; although rates are declining, they are second only to those observed in Japan. There are marked variations in risk by region, suggesting important environmental influences in etiology. The cervix is the major female site; rates are declining in young women, probably due to the introduction of screening programs, although these do not seem to account for the geographic variations in invasive cancer incidence. Breast and prostate cancer show moderate rates, while those for colon and rectum cancer are low; increases in mortality rates for these sites are small, and involve mainly the older age groups. In contrast, rates of lung cancer are increasing dramatically in both sexes. In the childhood age group, very high incidence rates are observed for two neoplasms: Hodgkin's disease and acute lymphocytic leukemia.