Recent trends in prostate cancer in Spain

To assess recent trends in prostate cancer incidence, survival and mortality in Spain using updated data.

Prostate cancer mortality data have been obtained from the National Institute of Statistics (INE). Incidence cases have been obtained from the databases Cancer Incidence in Five Continents (CI5) and European Cancer Information System. Joinpoint regression models were used for trend analysis. The results show the duration (years) of each trend, as well as the Annual Percent Change (APC) for each of them. The direction and magnitude of recent trends (last 5 years available) were evaluated using the percentages of Average Annual Percent Change (AAPC).

Incidence rates increased significantly from 16.4 in 1980 to 61.3 in 2014. The joinpoint analysis shows three periods: two initial periods of significant rise (1980-1990; 3.5% and 1990-2004; 8.4%) followed by a final one in which rates stabilize (2004-2014; -0.5%, non-significant). Mortality rates drop from 12.9 in 1980 to 7.9 in 2018, with an AAPC of -1.2% (p<0.05). However, the joinpoint analysis identified three time periods: an initial period of statistically significant rise (1980-1998; APC: 0.6%, p<0.05) and two periods of decreasing rates (1992-2008; APC: -3.3%, p<0.05 and 2008-2018; APC: -2.4%, p<0.05).

Recent trends (last 5 years) show that mortality rates have decreased and incidence rates have stabilized or even decreased in some age groups.