Cancer mortality in the USSR, 1986-88

Mortality rates in the USSR for the major cancer sites have been computed for the period 1986-88 from official numbers of certified deaths and population estimates provided by the World Health Organization databank, and compared with rates for 26 other European countries. Among males, elevated mortality rates (age-adjusted, world standard) were observed for cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx (6.6/100,000), oesophagus (8.4/100,000) and larynx (6.8/100,000). Mortality from cancer of the stomach (38.4/100,000 males and 16.5/100,000 females, for a total of 87,000 deaths per year) was the highest in Europe. Likewise, overall lung cancer rates among males (61.0/100,000, for over 77,000 deaths per year) were among the highest in Europe, and showed substantial rises over the last 2 decades. Lung cancer mortality in females was comparatively low (6.9/100,000), and increased only moderately. Rates for cancers of the intestine (14.6/100,000 males and 10.6/100,000 females) and of the female breast (12.9/100,000) were comparatively low as compared to most other European countries, and those for prostatic cancer (5.9/100,000) were the lowest registered in Europe. In contrast, mortality for cancer of the uterus (9.7/100,000) was among the highest in Europe, probably due to high mortality from cervical cancer. Priorities for cancer control in the Soviet Union are thus reduction of consumption of tobacco and alcohol, which largely explain the high rates for lung and upper digestive and respiratory sites, improvements in diet composition and food storage to reduce the substantial excess of stomach cancer, and rational screening for cervical cancer.