Colorectal cancer morbidity in Poland and Japan in the years 1999–2006 – a comparison

INTRODUCTION: The frequency of colorectal cancer (CRC) is dependent on sex and age. The illness more often affects men than women, and a considerable increase in morbidity is noted after 65 years of age. The aim of the study was to assess the influence of various risk factors on CRC morbidity, statistical data from countries varied in cultural, socioeconomic and biological terms need to be studied. Poland and Japan can serve as examples of such contrasts. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The basis for the analysis of CRC morbidity was statistical data from Poland and Japan gathered in the period 1999–2006. They were expressed in absolute numbers and were related to the total morbidity, as well as morbidity according to sex and age. RESULTS: In the years 1999–2006, the total morbidity in Japan was on average 2.3 times higher than in Poland. The value was 2.5 times higher among men and 2.1 times among women when compared to Poland. In both countries morbidity is closely related to age and it reaches a peak between 65 and 74 years of age. Although the change in morbidity over the period was the same for Poland and Japan, there are considerable differences concerning the sex of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: There is a substantial increase in CRC morbidity in both countries, especially among elderly people, which may point to the predominant influence of environmental factors and population aging in both countries. The much higher increase in morbidity among Polish men when compared to Polish women, not observed in the Japanese population, requires further study.