The purpose of the study was to determine the epidemiological characteristics of breast cancers diagnosed among Lower Silesian women between 1984 and 2003. Data from the Lower Silesian Cancer Registry on the incidence and mortality of breast neoplasms in the Lower Silesian province were analyzed. The annual number of breast cancers and cancer-related deaths increased markedly between 1984 and 2003. The non-standardized coefficients of incidence in the large cities of Wroclaw, Legnica, and Walbrzych were markedly higher than in the other counties of the province. The number of tumors detected with diameters ≤5 cm increased from 57% in 1984 to 81% in 2003. The increasing incidence of breast cancer seemed to be mostly related to the socioeconomic characteristics of Lower Silesian women. Although a down-staging due to better care reflects some positive trends, the outlook for breast cancer in Lower Silesia remains unfavorable.
The purpose of the present study was to demonstrate the epidemiological characteristics of colorectal cancers (CRCs) diagnosed in Lower Silesia between 1984 and 2003. Data from the Lower Silesian Cancer Registry on the incidence of CRC in the Lower Silesian province were subjected to analysis. The age adjusted incidence of CRC in both genders increased markedly. A higher relative increase of incidence was recorded for colon cancer. The age-specific incidence of either colon or rectal cancer increased markedly with age in both genders. No constant time-trend toward the earlier diagnosis of CRC was noted in the period studied. Although the number of CRC surgeries performed at the Regional Comprehensive Cancer Center in Wroclaw has increased over time, most of the cases that were diagnosed were treated outside that reference center. If an intensive increase in new case numbers, demonstrated in both the locations by 2003, is not moderated, the incidence of colorectal malignancies in Lower Silesia would become one of the highest in Europe.