Objectives:

To describe the incidence and mortality for the five main types of cancer in Colombia, from 2007-2011.

Methods:

We estimated cases and cancer incidence rates standardised by age, based on incidence/mortality ratios; and we calculated the observed deaths and mortality rates standardised by age in Colombia, both differentiated by province, type of cancer and sex. Incidence estimates were generated based on information from four cancer population registries (Cali, Pasto, Bucaramanga and Manizales), published in Cancer Incidence in Five Continents, volume X, and the official mortality and population information of the National Administrative Province of Statistics (DANE, for its initials in Spanish).

Results:

The annual number of expected cases (all cancers) was 62,818 in men and women; and there were 32,653 recorded deaths. The main incidental cancers were prostate (46.5 per 100,000 person-years) in men, and breast (33.8 per 100,000 person-years) in women. The highest mortality figures were for stomach cancer in men (14.2); and breast cancer in women (9.9).

Conclusions:

The highest incidence and mortality estimates in Colombia were for breast and prostate cancers, as well as a proportion of infection-related cancers, such as stomach and cervical cancer. These four neoplasms were responsible for more than 50% of the burden of the disease. Only through good quality, long-duration cancer registries, can information be obtained about the changes in incidence trends.

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