Cancer epidemiology

It is a separate scientific field that collects and analyzes data related to the occurrence and mortality of malignant diseases.

Descriptive epidemiology

 * Describes data on the occurrence and mortality of individual tumors,
 * usually uses relative figures per 100,000 population,
 * concepts:
 * incidence (number of new tumors),
 * prevalence (number of tumors in a certain period of time),
 * mortality (death rate).

Analytical epidemiology

 * They try to find causal connections in the description (e.g. smoking - lung cancer, stomach cancer - Japan...),
 * the number of tumors is increasing, the second place in mortality (after diseases of the cardiovascular system),
 * rise – lung cancer (today mainly in women, it is starting to decrease in men),
 * decrease – stomach cancer, cervical cancer (effective prevention),
 * persistent condition – mammary cancer,
 * in the Czech Republic, there is a high incidence of colorectal cancer, kidney cancer,
 * currently there is a decrease in lung cancer – in the 70s MI started at a younger age, people stopped smoking.
 * in which the Czech Republic leads,
 * we have the most kidney cancers in the world (they do not have such a mortality rate, they are not talked about as much), as well as colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer,
 * we are 1st in Europe in mortality from cancer of the body of the uterus and ovaries.


 * The country with the highest incidence of cancers – Hungary,
 * the highest incidence of melanomas – Scandinavia (residents travel a lot).

Incidence of cancers in the Czech Republic (year 2017):
Incidence Mortality Prevalence
 * men
 * 1) Prostate cancer (C61)
 * 2) ZN of the colon and rectum (C18–C20)
 * 3) CN trachea, bronchi and lungs (C33, C34)
 * women
 * 1) Breast cancer (C50)
 * 2) neoplasms in situ (D00–D09)
 * 3) ZN of the colon and rectum (C18–C20)
 * 4) CN trachea, bronchi and lungs (C33, C34)
 * men
 * 1) CN trachea, bronchi and lungs (C33, C34)
 * 2) ZN of the colon and rectum (C18–C20)
 * 3) Prostate cancer (C61)
 * women
 * 1) CN trachea, bronchi and lungs (C33, C34)
 * 2) Breast cancer (C50)
 * 3) ZN of the colon and rectum (C18–C20)
 * men
 * 1) Prostate cancer (C61)
 * 2) ZN of the colon and rectum (C18–C20)
 * 3) Renal disease (C64)
 * women
 * 1) Breast cancer (C50)
 * 2) neoplasms in situ (D00–D09)
 * 3) ZN of the uterus (C54, C55)
 * 4) ZN of the colon and rectum (C18–C20)

CAVE! - skin tumors are not counted here, non-melanoma skin cancer (C44) ranks first in incidence

Carcinogens

 * Tobacco – 15-30% of tumors,
 * chronic infections 10-25%,
 * nutrition 30%,
 * other 5%,
 * tobacco – lungs, tongue + oral cavity, stomach, kidneys, cone, bladder, pancreas (?),
 * chron. infection – EBV (Burkitt's lymphoma), Helicobacter pylori, VHB, VHC, papillomaviruses,
 * ca stomach – it is famous in Japan – probably thanks to Sushi – raw meat (many infections),
 * 99% of cervical cancers – papillomavirus.

Hereditary cancer

 * Only 10% of tumors can be traced to a familial occurrence,
 * have some common features, occur at a younger age, are usually AD hereditary, are more often multifocal,
 * the most common hereditary tumors include:
 * retinoblastoma – Rb gene mutation, bilateral retinoblastoma, more frequent bone sarcomas and breast and lung tumors,
 * familial polyposis of the colon – mutation of the APC gene,
 * Gardner's and Turcot's syndrome – polyposis of the GIT, cancer both in the colon and elsewhere (often  medullary carcinoma of the thyroid gland),  it is a deletion on Chromosome 17 and 18,
 * FAMMM (familial atypical multiple mole melanoma) syndrome – deletion on chromosome 1, dysplastic nevi and melanomas,
 * Li-Fraumeni syndrome – family occurrence of breast cancer and other tumors (p53 defect),
 * Lynch syndrome I (HNCPP – hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer) – colon cancer without polyposis (repair defect),
 * Lynch syndrome II – in addition to colon cancer, there are also other cancers (stomach, breast, endometrium, endocrine...),
 * other – Wilms tumor, Neurofibromatosis, MEN sy, Hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (BRCA1, BRCA2 genes).

Related Articles

 * Incidence of tumors
 * Hereditary tumor syndromes
 * Cancer prevention
 * Cancer screening
 * Cancer risk factors