Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology 2005 35(3):168-170; doi:10.1093/jjco/hyi048
© 2005 Foundation for Promotion of Cancer Research
Comparison of Cancer Mortality (Lung Cancer) in Five Countries: France, Italy, Japan, UK and USA from the WHO Mortality Database (1960–2000)
Tomomi Marugame and
Itsuro Yoshimi
Statistics and Cancer Control Division, Research Center for Cancer Prevention and Screening, National Cancer Center
Lung cancer mortality age-standardized rates (ASRs; using 1985 Japanese standard population) are shown for Japan, USA, UK, France, and Italy (Fig 1). For men (Fig. 1, left), all five countries experienced a rapid increase in ASRs of lung cancer since the 1960s. During the 1960s and 1970s, ASRs of lung cancer for men in the UK and USA were much higher compared with those for Japanese, French and Italian men. ASRs for men reached a peak in the late 1970s in the UK and in 1990 for those in the USA. Although ASRs of lung cancer among Japanese, French and Italian men increased after 1960 they reached a plateau, in the case of Japan and Italy, or a peak, in the case of France, around 1990. ASRs among men in these five countries have recently converged.
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Figure 1. Age-standardized mortality rates (ASRs) for lung cancer in males and females: age-standardized with 1985 Japanese standard population, rates per 100 000.
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ASRs of lung cancer among women in the UK and USA (
Fig. 1, right)
increased rapidly after 1960, and reached a plateau around 1990.
ASRs of lung cancer among Japanese, French and Italian women
gradually increased after 1960. This upward trend is not as
steep compared with that of women in the UK and USA. Up until
2000, no obvious downward trends in ASRs of lung cancer have
been observed among Japanese, French and Italian women.
Mortality trends of lung cancer in males are shown by age group according to year of death (Fig. 2) and year of birth (Fig. 3). In the five study countries, a peak in mortality rate of lung cancer first appeared among men in the UK for all age groups (Fig. 2). For men in Italy, UK and the USA, there is only one peak for each mortality curve. These peaks can be observed as a ‘birth cohort effect’ in Fig. 3, that is, the birth cohort with highest lung cancer mortality in men born around 1930 (USA and Italy), and around 1900 (UK), respectively. Compared with Italy, UK and the USA, there are small peaks of lung cancer mortality among men born around 1930 in Japan and France, and a second peak in men born after 1960.
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Figure 2. Age-specific rates for males over 40 years of age by year of death for lung cancer in five countries, rates per 100 000.
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Figure 3. Age-specific rates for males over 40 years of age by birth cohort for lung cancer in five countries, rates per 100 000.
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Mortality trends of female lung cancer by age group are shown
according to year of death (
Fig. 4) and year of birth (
Fig. 5).
Among women in the UK and USA, the most rapid increase is
observed after 1960 when a peak is observed for most age groups
excluding older age groups (
Fig. 4). Similar to men, these peaks
are coincident with birth cohorts born around 1930 (USA) and
the late 1920s (UK) (
Fig. 5). A remarkable and distinctive increase
in lung cancer mortality is observed among French women aged
between 40 and 59 years after 1980. In 2000, lung cancer mortality
rates among Japanese women aged between 40 and 59 years are
lower than those among French women of the same age, while rates
among Japanese women aged 64 years or more are higher than those
among French women of the same age.
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Figure 4. Age-specific rates for females over 40 years of age by year of death for lung cancer in five countries, rates per 100 000.
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Figure 5. Age-specific rates for females over 40 years of age by birth cohort for lung cancer in five countries, rates per 100 000.
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Note: Original data is downloaded from the WHO Mortality Database
(version as of Feb. 2004). The data was then tabulated by I.
Yoshimi with 162 and 163 (ICD-7), 162 (ICD-8), 162 (ICD-9),
and C33-C34 (ICD-10). Responsibility for this presentation and
interpretation lies with the authors, not the WHO Mortality
Database.
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