Cancer survival in Estonia from 1978 to 1987

Abstract

On the basis of the Estonian Cancer Registry's data bank, survival was examined for 36,020 incident cancer cases diagnosed from 1978 to 1987 in men and women residing Estonia. The number of cases, the proportion of cases with microscopic verification, the observed and relative 5‐year survival rates, and the median survival time were determined for 25 most common cancer sites and all sites combined. The highest relative survival rates were documented for cancers of the lip, corpus uteri, and skin (melanoma, women). The lowest rates were found for acute myeloid leukemia (women), and cancers of the liver, pancreas, and esophagus (men). For most cancer sites, the survival rates of women exceeded those of men. The comparison of nationwide survival rates by selected sites in Estonia with those in Finland revealed that Estonian rates were lower. Existing information shows that the Estonian Cancer Registry has relatively good data resources for promoting more sophisticated survival studies. Copyright © 1991 American Cancer Society