Cancer incidence and mortality in young adults in Vaud, Switzerland, 1974-1992

Trends in cancer incidence and mortality in young adults (aged 20 to 44 years) over the period 1974-1992 were analyzed using data from the Vaud Cancer Registry, Switzerland. A total of 1,497 cancers were registered in males, after excluding non melanomatous skin cancers. The most common neoplasms were testis, lymphomas, lung, skin melanoma and oral cavity and pharynx. The overall age-standardized (world population) incidence was 750 per million males, and increased from 676 in 1974-1979 to 808 in 1986-1992. These upward trends were due mainly to cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx, lung, skin melanoma and colorectum, while testicular cancer rates remained stable. For females, a total of 1,899 malignant neoplasms was notified, corresponding to an overall age-standardized incidence of 914 per million. The overall rate increased from 818 in 1974-1979 to 1,003 in 1986-1992. The most frequent neoplasms were breast, skin melanoma, ovary, thyroid and lymphomas. The major types of cancer responsible for these upward trends were breast cancer, skin melanoma and lung cancer. In the period studied there were 458 cancer deaths in males and 408 in females, corresponding to an overall age-standardized rate of 227 per million males and 193 per million females. Death rates in males tended to decline, to reach 194 per million in 1986-1992, but no consistent trend was observed in females. The decline in males was essentially due to the fall in rates for testicular cancer and Hodgkin's disease. In females, falls in death rates were observed for cancer of the cervix uteri, ovary and Hodgkin's disease. Death rates were upwards for lung cancer in both sexes, and for skin melanoma and breast cancer in females.