Incidence rate of colon and rectal cancer
Colon and rectal cancer is the third most common cancer (4th in men, 3rd in women in the period 2010-2014) and accounts for 10% of all new cancer cases. In recent years, its incidence has been increasing, it is mainly related to an unhealthy lifestyle, such as consumption of an unhealthy diet, obesity, lack of exercise. A healthy lifestyle can help reduce the incidence of colon and rectal cancer. Improving behavioral risk factors is the responsibility of the individual and the environment. Local environments must provide conditions for individuals to carry out activities that are beneficial to health.
People older than 50 are more often affected, 5.5% are younger than 50. The probability of an individual born in 2014 to get cancer by the age of 75 is 4.3%.
In Slovenia, in the period 2010-2014, an average of 1,538 people fell ill with colon and rectal cancer annually, and 770 of them died. The relative five-year survival of patients with colon cancer is increasing and during this period was 62.9% for men and 59 .6% for women of all ages.
The disease develops for a long time without obvious signs of disease. The chances of recovery are greater when the disease is detected at a very early stage. For this purpose, a national program for screening and early detection of precancerous changes and colon and rectal cancer, called the Svit Program, has been established in Slovenia, the target population of which is people aged 50-74.
Activities to increase residents' awareness of this serious disease and the possibilities of prevention, early detection and action by increasing participation in the Svit Program can contribute to reducing the incidence of the disease and its consequences, including mortality.
The colon cancer incidence rate shows the average annual incidence of colon and rectal cancer per 100,000 population over the observed five-year period. An age-standardized rate is calculated, which enables mutual comparison of populations with different age structures.
Age-standardized rate per 100,000 inhabitants.
The incidence rate of colon and rectal cancer is the ratio between the number of new cases of colon and rectal cancer in the observed population in one calendar year and the number of inhabitants in the observed population in the middle of the same calendar year, multiplied by 100,000.
The disease categories according to the ICD-10 classification, which are included in the calculation, are C18 – C20.
New cases of colon and rectal cancer
The direct standardization method is used to calculate the age-standardized rate, where the Slovenian population from 2014 is used as the standard population. The incidence rate of colon and rectal cancer is shown as an average of five consecutive years.
Cancer Registry of the Republic of Slovenia, Institute of Oncology
Population, Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia.
Data on the incidence of colon cancer are published annually.
- Zadnik V, Primic Žakelj M. SLORA: Slovenia and cancer. Cancer Epidemiology and Registry. Oncology Institute Ljubljana. www.slora.si (February 20, 2018).
2. Cancer in Slovenia 2014. Ljubljana: Oncology Institute Ljubljana, Cancer Epidemiology and Registry, Cancer Registry of the Republic of Slovenia, 2017.
3. SVIT ( http://www.program-svit.si/sl/rak-na-debelem-crevesu-in-danki )
Cancer of the anus and anal canal (disease category according to the ICD-10 classification C21) is not included in the incidence.