Estimates of cancer burden in Basilicata and Calabria

Aims and background Basilicata and Calabria are two neighboring, low income regions of southern peninsular Italy with an overall population of about 2.5 million in 2010. Cancer registration has covered the entire Basilicata population since 2005 and the province of Catanzaro (18.3% of the Calabria population) since 2003. This paper will provide estimates and projections for the period 1970—2015 of the basic epidemiological indicators — incidence, prevalence and mortality — in the Basilicata and Calabria regions for the major cancers (lung, colon and rectum, stomach, skin melanoma, breast, cervix and prostate). Methods The indicators were estimated by applying the MIAMOD statistical back-calculation method to the 1970—2002 official mortality data, and to the 1985—2002 relative survival data collected by population-based registries of the southern regions of Italy. Results The incidence rates were estimated to be still rising for breast, prostate and colorectal cancer, and for skin melanoma in men. By contrast, they were estimated to be declining for cervix and stomach cancer. The incidence increased, reaching a peak, and subsequently decreased for lung cancer in men and for skin melanoma in women. The age-standardized mortality rates were estimated to decrease for all considered cancers except prostate cancer in men and lung cancer in women, which presented quite stable mortality rates from the mid 2000s onwards. Except for cervix cancer, prevalence was increasing for all considered cancers, particularly those of the breast and prostate. Conclusion These data support the need for health policies focused on primary and secondary prevention, which is the main way to reduce the overall impact of cancer and to preserve health care resources, as well as on actions aimed at ensuring equal access to cancer care and at transferring innovation into clinical practice.