[Age structure and incidence of cancer. An epidemiologic observation in West Germany]

Cancer is the second most common cause of death in West Germany. With increasing age, however, its significance decreases--in men and women to differing extents. The incidence and mortality of cancer increase exponentially with age; every second woman with fatal cancer was older than 75, the median age in men being 71. Since 1970, the age-corrected cancer mortality rate in men has remained unchanged, while in women it has decreased by about 9%. On the basis of the changing age structure in the general population, by the year 2005, an increase in deaths from cancer of almost one-third is expected, with 27,000 more deaths among men than among women. In view of all the possible influencing factors, the present data do not suffice to permit a causal interpretation of the statistical relationship between age and malignant tumor development.