[Cancer in esophagus and cardia--incidence trends in Denmark]

The incidence of adenocarcinoma in esophagus and cardia has been reported as increasing in a number of countries over recent decades. We examined if a similar increase has occurred in Denmark. The study evaluates the incidence trends for esophagus- and stomach cancer in the period 1943-2003 with focus on changes since 1978.

All data were retrieved from the Danish Cancer Register, which contains information on cancer cases in Denmark since 1943, including detailed information about histology since 1978. Age-standardized incidence rates were calculated based on the age distribution in the World Standard Population (WSP) and the Danish population in 2000 (DK-2000).

The age-standardized (DK-2000) incidence rates for esophagus cancer in Denmark were stable in the period 1943-1977, but then increased from 3.7 per 100,000 in the period 1978-1982 to 6.8 per 100,000 in the period 1998-2003. The corresponding incidence rate for stomach cancer decreased over the entire study period from 21.9 per 100,000 in 1943-1947 to 9.7 per 100,000 in 1998-2003. The increased incidence of esophagus cancer in the period from 1978 was mainly due to an increase in the incidence of adenocarcinomas, particularly among men. During the period 1978-2003 we observed a marked decrease in the incidence of adenocarcinoma in the distal stomach, whereas the incidence of adenocarcinoma in the cardia was constant in this period.

The incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma has increased during the past 25 years in Denmark, whereas the incidence of adenocarcinoma in the cardia has remained constant.