Trends in cancer mortality in young adults in Europe, 1955-1989

Trends in mortality in the age group 20-44 years for the 16 most common cancers or groups of cancer in young adults are presented for 24 European countries (i.e. those with > or = 1,000,000 inhabitants). The largest (up to 9-fold) and most frequent increases were recorded for cancer of the mouth and pharynx (> or = 2-fold increase from 1955-1959 to 1985-1989 in 10 countries), and oesophagus (in eight countries) in males, and for cancer of the skin, chiefly of melanomatous type, in males and females (in nine and eight countries, respectively). Consistent declines were observed for cancer of the stomach and uterus (chiefly, cervix), and for Hodgkin's disease, most notably in northern European countries. Little change emerged in the last 30 years or so in young adult mortality rates for cancer of the colon-rectum, pancreas, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, leukaemias and cancers of the breast and ovaries in women. More than 2-fold elevations in lung cancer mortality rates in men aged 20-44 years were found only in a few previously non-market economy countries, and in Spain and Portugal. In some northern European countries, favourable downward trends in young males were accompanied by more than 2-fold increases in lung cancer mortality rates in young women. Overall, total cancer mortality rates in women at aged 20-44 years have declined over the last 35 years by more than 20% in 12 countries, and have not increased anywhere. Total cancer mortality rates in young males showed similar decreases in nine northern European countries, but increases of the same magnitude were also observed in most formerly non-market economy countries, and in Spain and Portugal.