Epidemiology of urological cancer deaths in Japan

We analyzed mortality data (1973-84) associated with 19 major cancers in Japan. The standardized mortality ratio (SMR) for prostate cancer was high in prefectures clustered in the Kanto-Chubu and Kyusyu regions, and that for renal cancer was high in prefectures scattered over eastern Japan. On the other hand, the SMR for prostate cancer was low in prefectures in the Kinki and Shikoku regions. In males, the SMR for bladder cancer was low in the Kanto and Chubu regions, and that for renal cancer was low in the Kanto-Chubu, Shikoku and Kyusyu regions. The correlation between the prefectural SMR for urological cancers and other cancers was analyzed. Pairs of cancers which were fairly highly correlated (0.5 or higher) were bladder-lung, kidney-colon, kidney-breast, kidney-ovary, and kidney-pancreas. For most cancers, the prefectural SMR in males was highly correlated (0.5 or higher) with that in females. However, for cancer of the bone, bladder, skin and larynx, the correlation coefficient was less than 0.5. In 14 of the 19 cancers examined, the slope of the logarithm of the age-specific mortality rate plotted against the logarithm of age was linear, and the relationship between age and mortality rate could be expressed by the formula Log M (mortality rate) varies; is directly proportional to nLog T (age) The value of "n" calculated using the formula ranged from 4 to 7 for most cancers, and was highest (9.5) for prostate cancer.