Trends in prostate cancer in elderly in Denmark, 1980-2012

BACKGOUND: The purpose of the study is to elucidate the epidemiology of elderly patients with prostate cancer in Denmark and identify the differences between younger (<70 years) and elderly (≥70 years) patients.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Prostate cancer was defined as ICD-10 code C61. Data were derived from the NORDCAN database with comparable data on cancer incidence, mortality, prevalence and relative survival in the Nordic countries, where the Danish data are delivered from the Danish Cancer Registry and the Danish Cause of Death Registry.

RESULTS: The average annual number of newly diagnosed prostate cancers in Denmark has risen from 1297 patients in 1980 to 4315 patients in 2012. The prevalence increased consistently in all age groups more than seven-fold in the period, from 3987 patients in 1980 to 28 951 patients in 2012. The cancer-specific mortality in Denmark has slightly increased over the observed period, in coherence with the growth of the population, resulting in unchanged mortality rates, with the exception of the patients above 80 years, where the mortality rates are increased. The one- and five-year relative survival for prostate cancer improved significantly for all age groups over the time period from 1980 to 2012.

CONCLUSION: The incidence, prevalence, and survival of elderly prostate cancer patients has increased over the observed period but with unchanged mortality rates, except in patients above 80 years, where the mortality rates were increasing.