Prepared by: Sonja Tomšič 
Date of last change: March 2019

Purpose and justification of the indicator

Colon and rectal cancer is one of the most common cancers in Slovenia. Its incidence has been increasing in recent years. The occurrence of colon and rectal cancer is primarily associated with 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. Activities to improve behavioral risk factors are the responsibility of the individual and the environment in the narrower and wider society in which we as individuals live, work and learn. Local environments must provide conditions for individuals to carry out activities that are beneficial to health.
Many who have an early form of this disease are not even aware of it, because 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 screening program for the detection of colon and rectal cancer called the Svit Program has been established in Slovenia. In Slovenia, more than 1,300 people are diagnosed with colon and rectal cancer every year, and more than 700 of them die. The relative five-year survival of patients with colon cancer is increasing and in the period 2001-2005 was 58.5% for men and 57.1% for women.
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.

Definition of indicator

The colon cancer mortality rate describes the mortality from colon and rectal cancer before the age of 75 per 100,000 population in an observed calendar year. An age-standardized rate is calculated, which enables mutual comparison of populations with different age structures.

Unit of measure

Calculation of the indicator

The standardized death rate from colon and rectal cancer is the ratio between the number of deaths from colon and rectal cancer before the age of 75 in the observed calendar year and the number of residents aged 0 to 74 inclusive in the middle of the same year, multiplied by 100,000.
The disease category according to the ICD-10 classification, which is included in the calculation, is C18 &ndash; C21.
Colon and rectal cancer mortality
<math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mo>=</mo><mfrac><mrow><mi>N</mi><mi>u</mi><mi>m</mi><mi>b</mi><mi>e</mi><mi>r</mi><mo>&#160;</mo><mi>o</mi><mi>f</mi><mo>&#160;</mo><mi>i</mi><mi>n</mi><mi>h</mi><mi>a</mi><mi>b</mi><mi>i</mi><mi>tan</mi><mi>t</mi><mi>s</mi><mo>&#160;</mo><mi>w</mi><mi>h</mi><mi>o</mi><mo>&#160;</mo><mi>d</mi><mi>i</mi><mi>e</mi><mi>d</mi><mo>&#160;</mo><mi>f</mi><mi>r</mi><mi>o</mi><mi>m</mi><mo>&#160;</mo><mi>c</mi><mi>o</mi><mi>l</mi><mi>o</mi><mi>n</mi><mo>&#160;</mo><mi>a</mi><mi>n</mi><mi>d</mi><mo>&#160;</mo><mi>r</mi><mi>e</mi><mi>c</mi><mi>t</mi><mi>a</mi><mi>l</mi><mo>&#160;</mo><mi>c</mi><mi>a</mi><mi>n</mi><mi>c</mi><mi>e</mi><mi>r</mi><mo>&#160;</mo><mo>(</mo><mn>0</mn><mo>-</mo><mn>74</mn><mo>&#160;</mo><mi>y</mi><mi>e</mi><mi>a</mi><mi>r</mi><mi>s</mi><mo>)</mo></mrow><mrow><mi>N</mi><mi>u</mi><mi>m</mi><mi>b</mi><mi>e</mi><mi>r</mi><mo>&#160;</mo><mi>o</mi><mi>f</mi><mo>&#160;</mo><mi>i</mi><mi>n</mi><mi>h</mi><mi>a</mi><mi>b</mi><mi>i</mi><mi>tan</mi><mi>t</mi><mi>s</mi><mo>&#160;</mo><mo>(</mo><mn>0</mn><mo>-</mo><mn>74</mn><mo>&#160;</mo><mi>y</mi><mi>e</mi><mi>a</mi><mi>r</mi><mi>s</mi><mo>)</mo></mrow></mfrac><mo>&#215;</mo><mn>100</mn><mo>.</mo><mn>000</mn></math>
The direct standardization method is used to calculate the age-standardized rate, where the Slovenian population from 2014 is used as the standard population.
Publications in 2016 show the average of several consecutive years only for colon cancer, excluding rectal cancer.
From and including publications in 2017, the average of several consecutive years for colon and rectal cancer is shown.

Data sources for Slovenia

Death Database, National Institute of Public Health.
Population, Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia.

Time availability

Colon cancer mortality data are published annually.

Men in literature

<ol>
<li>Zadnik V, Primic Žakelj M. SLORA: Slovenia and cancer. Cancer Epidemiology and Registry. Oncology Institute Ljubljana. <a href="http://www.slora.si" target="_blank" rel="noopener">www.slora.si</a> (October 5, 2015).</li>
<li>SVIT ( <a href="http://www.program-svit.si/sl/rak-na-debelem-crevesu-in-danki" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://www.program-svit.si/sl/rak-na-debelem-crevesu-in-danki</a> )</li>
</ol>

Notes

The indicator was included in the 2016 and 2017 publications.

Mortality

Prepared by: Metka Zaletel 
Date of last modification: September 2016

Residents and community

Prepared by: Mojca Simončič and Metka Zaletel 
Date of last change: January 2018

Prepared by: Mojca Simončič and Metka Zaletel 
Date of last change: September 2016

Prepared by: Mojca Simončič 
Date of last change: March 2017

Prepared by: Gregor Starc 
Date of last modification: September 2016

Health risk factors

Prepared by: Gregor Starc, Kristina Orožen 
Date of last change: September 2016

Prepared by: Tina Lesnik 
Date of last change: March 2021

Prepared by: Andreja Belščak 
Date of last change: September 2016

Prepared by: Mateja Rok Simon and Tina Zupanič 
Date of last change: March 2017

Prepared by: Metka Zaletel 
Date of last modification: March 2019

Prepared by: Victoria Zakrajšek 
Date of last change: March 2021

Prepared by: Martin Ranfl, Jona Bambič 
Date of last change: November 2017

Prepared by: Victoria Zakrajšek, Tatjana Kofol Bric 
Date of last change: March 2019

Prepared by: Jasmina Staroveški Anderlič 
Date of last change: March 2020

Prepared by: Victoria Zakrajšek 
Date of last change: November 2021

Prepared by: Victoria Zakrajšek 
Date of last change: March 2023

Prepared by: Tatjana Kofol Bric 
Date of last modification: September 2016

Preventive

Prepared by: Victoria Zakrajšek and Sonja Tomšič 
Date of last change: March 2017

Prepared by: Bonia Miljavac 
Date of last change: March 2017

Prepared by: Sonja Tomšič 
Date of last change: November 2019

Prepared by: Sonja Tomšič 
Date of last change: March 2021

Health status

Prepared by: Victoria Zakrajšek 
Date of last change: March 2017

Prepared by: Aleš Korošec 
Date of last change: September 2016

Prepared by: Aleš Korošec
Date of last change: September 2016

Prepared by: Tatjana Kofol Bric 
Date of last change: March 2019

Prepared by: Aleš Korošec and Sonja Tomšič 
Date of last change: September 2016

Prepared by: Mojca Simončič and Metka Zaletel 
Date of last change: October 2019

Prepared by: Kristina Orožen 
Date of last change: March 2019

Prepared by: Tatjana Kofol Bric, Jona Bambič 
Date of last change: March 2018

Prepared by: Victoria Zakrajšek, Tatjana Kofol Bric 
Date of last change: February 2020

Prepared by: Ema Ahačič 
Date of last change: April 2023

Prepared by: Ema Ahačič 
Date of last change: March 2023

Prepared by: Sonja Tomšič, Tatjana Kofol Bric 
Date of last change: March 2019

Prepared by: Tina Lesnik 
Date of last change: March 2019

Prepared by: Tina Lesnik 
Date of last change: March 2020