Abstract
Relatively little is known about the epidemiology of carcinoid tumours in contrast to the extensive information available on their biochemical effects and natural history. Accordingly, we have used cancer registrations in England from 1979 to 1987, and in Scotland from 1980 to 1989, to estimate the incidence of carcinoid tumours in Britain. Age-standardised incidence rates for England, based on 3,382 registrations, were 0.71 (0.68-0.75) for men and 0.87 (0.83-0.91) for women, per 100,000 per year. The equivalent rates for Scotland, based on 639 registrations, were 1.17 (0.91-1.44) for men and 1.36 (1.09-1.63) for women. There was a consistent female excess of carcinoid tumours in the reproductive years, which was reversed after the age of 50. The female excess was most striking for gastrointestinal carcinoid tumours in women aged 15-19 years (F:M ratio = 2.14). The sex differences are probably due in part to incidental diagnosis of carcinoid tumours during abdominal procedures, which are more common in women than men at ages 15-49 years. However, there is some evidence to suggest a true sex difference in incidence, particularly the fact that the sex ratio for thoracic tumours varies with age in a similar way to that for gastrointestinal tumours. Hormonal factors may, therefore, be important in the aetiology of carcinoid tumours.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 939-942 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | British Journal of Cancer |
| Volume | 70 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Nov 1994 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We thank the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys for supply-ing, and Andrew Reid for extracting, data on registrations in Eng- land, Linda Sharp and Calum Muir of the Scottish Health Service Common Service Agency for providing data and advice on cancer registrations in Scotland, and the staff of the Oxford Cancer Intelligence Unit for performing the telephone survey of registration practice in England. Examination of the English data was funded by the Cancer Research Campaign. The Epidemiological Monitoring Unit is funded by the Medical Research Council. The Unit of Health-Care Epidemiology is fnmded by the Department of Health and the Anglia and Oxford Regional Health Authority.
