Cancer incidence and mortality among teenagers in vaud, switzerland, 1974–1992

Data from the Vaud Cancer Registry, Switzerland, were used to analyse incidence and mortality from cancer in teenagers (aged 10 to 19 years) over the period 1974-1992. A total of 113 males and 87 females were registered. Of these, 23% were lymphomas, 16% leukaemias, about 15% central nervous system neoplasms, 10% germ cell tumours and bone neoplasms and 8% soft tissue sarcomas. The overall incidence rate (age-adjusted, world standard population) for all cancers combined was 167 per million boys and 128 per million girls. In both sexes, there was some indication of rising trends over time, to reach 196 per million males and 141 per million females in 1986-1992. The only types of cancer showing consistent upward trends in both sexes were lymphomas. A total of 53 cancer deaths were certified, due to leukaemias in about 40% of cases in both sexes and to lymphomas and brain tumours in 15%-20%. The overall mortality rate at age 10-19 years (age-standardised, world standard) was 47 per million boys and 31 per million girls, and no trend in mortality was observed over time. The 2 main findings of our analysis are (i) the absence of major trends in cancer incidence in adolescents, with the sole exception of a possible increasing incidence of lymphomas, and (ii) the lack of appreciable trends in mortality, in view of the declines in cancer mortality observed in children and young adults over the same calendar period.