Onkológia 4/2015

Selected trends in prostate cancer epidemiology in Slovakia

Introduction: In worldwide estimates, the Slovak Republic is classed to those countries with a medium high incidence of prostate cancer. Predictions of incidence indicate for the near future that prostate cancer will have the most frequent incidence of all malignant tumors in men in Slovakia. Aim: The aim of the submitted paper is to predict the development of selected indicators of descriptive epidemiology of prostate cancer in Slovakia and to provide relevant and updated data for the purposes of further analyses and evaluation of the impacts of interventions. Results: A significant rise in incidence of the disease can be seen in Slovakia, by as much as 6.7% annual percentage change in recent years, while in the case of mortality a slow but statistically significant falling trend has been noted since 1998, by -0.8% annually. These facts contribute to making prostate cancer the most prevalent malignant tumor in men. Conclusion: In Slovakia, no peak is being registered with a subsequent drop in the values of incidence of prostate cancer as is the case in several countries practicing screening of this disease. The development of mortality reveals a favourable trend in current national data.

Keywords: prostate cancer, incidence, mortality, prevalence, clinical stages.