Bladder cancer in Spain. Mortality trends (1955-1975)

Bladder cancer mortality trends in Spain: 1980-2021

OBJECTIVE

We propose to update bladder cancer mortality rates in Spain from 1980 to 2021, by sex and age-group, by autonomous community (AC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The public online databases of the National Statistical Institute were used to obtain data on population and bladder cancer mortality. Age-standardised mortality rates (ASMRs), all ages and truncated (<75 and ≥75) were estimated and reported as rates per 100,000 persons. Joinpoint regression software was used for estimation and trend analysis of ASMRs bladder cancer.

RESULTS

In the last decade, the ASMR for bladder cancer (all ages, <75 years and ≥75 years) decreased significantly in Spain for both sexes. This trend was observed in 12 ACs for men and in 4 ACs (Andalusia, Canary Islands, Catalonia and Madrid) for women, although to different degrees. For men, ASMR remained stable in Castilla-León and La Rioja (<75 years), Cantabria, Castilla-La Mancha and Valencia (≥75 years) and the 2 Castilian regions (all ages). For women, ASMR also decreased in Valencia (<75 and ≥75), Castilla-León (≥75), Galicia (≥75 and all ages) and Navarre (<75 and all ages).

CONCLUSION

Our results reveal significant variations in trends by AC, sex and age group, emphasizing the need for continued follow-up and targeted interventions to further reduce bladder cancer mortality rates in Spain.

Mortality Trends Related to Bladder Cancer in Spain, 1999-2018

Bladder cancer (BC) is an important cause of premature mortality (PM, <75 years). Spain has one of the highest BC mortality rates in Europe. The objective of this study was to analyse BC mortality trends between 1999 and 2018 in Spain. The study was based on data from the National Institute of Statistics (Instituto Nacional de Estadística-INE). Age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) were calculated by sex and age group. A trend analysis was performed using Joinpoint regression models and years of potential life lost (YPLL). Mortality in men resulting from BC decreased in all age groups studied. This was not observed in women, for whom mortality only decreased in the ≥75 age group. Deaths due to BC occurred prematurely in 38.6% of men and in 23.8% of women, which indicated a greater impact on YPLL in men compared to women. Over the last 20 years, there has been a significant decrease in BC mortality rate, except in women under 75 years of age. Despite this temporal trend of decreasing mortality, BC continues to have a significant impact on YPLL, mainly in men. Given this context, it is important to direct more resources towards prevention and early diagnosis strategies to correct this situation.

Geographical patterns of cancer mortality in Spain

This report discusses the methodology and main findings of the Atlas of Cancer Mortality in Spain with special reference to some major forms of cancer. The mortality for all cancers and specifically lung cancer, for both sexes, is highest in the peripheral regions of Spain. This agrees basically with the level of urbanization and industrialization which has developed during the past several decades. Madrid is the outstanding exception to these relationships. The mortality pattern for stomach cancer is directly opposite to that of lung cancer, the more rural inland provinces having higher mortalities and most Mediterranean provinces showing lower mortalities. For breast cancer areas of higher mortality are some northern and some Mediterranean provinces. A similar pattern is shown by other uterus cancer with areas of higher mortality in the Mediterranean provinces. Considered individually, the province of Cádiz shows the greatest risk of death from cancer, being ranked first for the following cancers: lung, oral cavity and pharynx, esophagus, larynx, and prostate for males and esophagus, other uterus, and bone for females. All these findings definitely produce more questions than answers. Future research on analytical epidemiology of cancer in Spain is strongly recommended.

Bladder cancer among workers in the textile industry: results of a Spanish case-control study

This paper presents results from a case-control study carried out in the county of Mataro, Spain. The study was designed to investigate the possible causes of an unusually high mortality rate from bladder cancer in Mataro county as compared to Spain as a whole, and this report focuses on occupational exposures. The study is based on 57 cases who were hospitalized for or died from bladder cancer between 1978 and 1981. Two controls per case were matched for sex, age, residence, and date of either hospitalization or death. Information was collected on smoking, coffee drinking, and occupation. Occupational histories were then evaluated and coded blind by a group of occupational health physicians. Analyses were carried out by means of conditional logistic regression. Among a group of common occupational sectors, an increased risk for past employment in the textile industry (OR = 2.2; p = .038) was found. Further analyses indicated that the risk is particularly elevated (OR = 4.41; 95% confidence limits; 1.15-16.84) for subjects who worked in dyeing or printing and who were most probably exposed to azo-dyes. Exposure in the textile industry may be responsible for 16% of the bladder cancers in the Mataro area. A list of dyes commonly used in the Mataro textile industries was compiled and cross-checked with lists of substances tested or evaluated for carcinogenesis.