[Estimation of the incidence of digestive tract cancers by region]

Information about the incidence of cancer in the national territory is a necessity for decision makers in public health. The aim of this study was to estimate for the first time the incidence of digestive tract cancers in each region of France in 1992 as well as trends in incidence between 1985 and 1995.

The incidence/mortality ratio established by sex, by age group and by localization in the departments covered by a cancer registry was applied to the mortality of each region studied. The mortality data were fit by applying a log linear model.

The highest incidence rates of esophageal cancer were found in the North, in Brittany, Normandy and Picardy. The lowest rates were found in the regions of Midi-Pyrénées, Languedoc-Roussillon, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Aquitaine and Poitou-Charentes. The incidence of this cancer decreased slightly between 1985 and 1995. Brittany and Normandy were also high risk regions for gastric cancer, while Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Midi-Pyrénées and Poitou-Charente were low risk regions. The incidence of gastric cancer also decreased more markedly than that of esophageal cancer. Colorectal cancer was more frequent in Alsace, Lorraine and in the North, it was less common in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Midi-Pyrénées and Franche-Comté. The incidence of this cancer increased little over the 10 years of the study.

There are regional disparities in the incidence and trends of digestive cancer incidence. These are more marked for esophageal cancer and gastric cancer than for colorectal cancer. The data supplied are of use both in the planning of health care and in the study of the causes or the prevention of digestive cancers.