OBJECTIVES: To compare mortality among counties (comarques) in Catalonia, Spain for the most frequent malignant tumors.
METHODS: Overall mortality data and for five specific tumor sites were analyzed for a five-year period (1983-1989). Crude and site-specific mortality rates were computed. The comparison between counties was adjusted for the 1986 population of Catalonia using the direct method. Comparative mortality ratios (CMR) were obtained for each county with respect to Catalonia.
RESULTS: Overall cancer mortality was higher in the Barcelonés for men and in Osona from women. The CMR for men in the Barcelonés was the highest for cancer of the trachea, bronchi and lungs; the CMR in Solsonés was the highest for stomach cancer, while in Cerdanya it was the highest for colorectal cancer. Among women, the highest CMR for cancer of the trachea, bronchi and lungs was in Montsiá, whereas for breast cancer it was Baix Empordá, and Alt Urgell for stomach cancer.
CONLUSIONS: Comparative analyses of cancer mortality by county in Catalonia and sex underscores differences in its distribution, allowing the orientation of cancer control policies and research to be developed in each geographical area.
