Breast cancer in Portugal: Temporal trends and age-specific incidence by geographic regions.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Female breast cancer incidence rates have been increasing in Portugal for years. We, therefore, conducted the first nationwide breast cancer study to assess regional differences. METHODS:Cases were obtained from population-based cancer registries covering the country's Mainland (South, North, Centre), as well as the two Autonomous Regions (Azores and Madeira), for the time-period 1998 through 2011. Analyses were restricted to ages 30-84 years and stratified by region. We used the age-period-cohort (APC) framework to complement standard descriptive techniques and to forecast future trends. Estimable APC parameters included net drift, longitudinal age-specific incidence rate curves, and fitted age-specific incidence rate ratios. RESULTS:There were 71 545 breast cancer cases diagnosed in Portugal at ages 30-84 years from 1998 to 2011. The South presented the highest age-standardized rate (155.8/100 000), while the North presented the fastest rate of increase (3.6%/year). Age-specific statistical interactions were observed between regions. Younger women in the North revealed a decreased risk of developing breast cancer compared to women from the same age group in the South and Centre, while that risk was reversed in older women (p?

SUBMITTER: Forjaz de Lacerda G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5971140 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature