Trends in urinary tract cancer deaths

Death from cancer of the urinary tract (bladder, kidney and renal pelvis) continues to be the fourth leading cause of cancer mortality among U.S. men. In 1988-89, 21,834 deaths from urinary tract cancer occurred among men aged 45-84 years, resulting in an age-adjusted mortality rate of 25.9 per 100,000. This rate was 7.2 lower than that reported for 1979-81 and all but 16 states had lower rates in 1988-89 than in 1979-81. The rates decreased or remained the same in all but the West South Central area of the country where there was a 2.5 percent increase in 1988-89. In states with 200 or more deaths from urinary tract cancer, the largest decrease in the age-adjusted mortality rate for men 45-84 was evident in New York and Virginia. The 16 rate increases ranged from 24 percent in Wyoming with 44 cases to 0.4 percent in Minnesota with 393 cases and 0.3 percent in Indian with 529 cases.