Prostate cancer mortality trends in Argentina 1986-2006: an age-period-cohort and joinpoint analysis

The aim of this study was to give an overview of the magnitude, variation by age and time trends in the rates of prostate cancer mortality in Cordoba province and in Argentina as a whole from 1986 to 2006. Mortality data were provided by the Cordoba Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization cancer mortality database. Prostate cancer mortality time trends were analyzed using joinpoint analysis and age-period-cohort models. In Argentina prostate cancer age-standardized mortality rates rose by 1% and 3.4% per year from 1986 to 1992 and from 1992 to 1998 respectively. There was a decreasing trend (-1.6%) for Argentina from 1998 and Cordoba (-1.9%) from 1995. Age-period-cohort models for the country and the province showed a strong age effect. In the country there was an increased risk in the 1996-2000 period, whereas there was decreased risk for birth cohorts since 1946, principally in Cordoba. A decreasing trend in prostate cancer mortality was found in Cordoba as well as in Argentina, which might be attributed to the improvement in treatment in this country.