Malignant brain neoplasms incidence and mortality trends in Croatia from 2001 to 2014

AIM: To analyze the sex-specific incidence and mortality trends of brain malignancies in Croatia from 2001 to 2014. METHODS: Incidence and mortality rates per 100 000 population were calculated using data obtained from the Croatian National Cancer Registry and the Croatian Bureau of Statistics. Rates were age-standardized to the European Standard Population, and trends were assessed using joinpoint regression. RESULTS: In the observed period there were 6634 new brain malignancy cases (52% men) and 5379 deaths due to this diagnosis (52% men). Age-standardized incidence rates ranged from 9.2-11.5 per 100 000 in men and from 7-8.8 per 100 000 in women. Mortality rates ranged from 7.5-8.7 per 100 000 in men and from 5-6.5 in women. Incidence trends in men, mortality in men, and mortality in women were not statistically significant, while a significant trend was observed in incidence in women (annual percent change -1.5; 95% confidence interval -2.3 to -0.6). No joinpoints were observed in any of the joinpoint analyses by sex for incidence and mortality. Age-specific incidence and mortality rates in both sexes indicate a trend shift toward older age. The proportion of morphologically verified cases ranged from 40.2%-62.4% in men and from 38.6%-56.3% in women; the proportion of death-certificate-only cases ranged from 3.3%-9.4% in men and from 3.3%-17.5% in women. CONCLUSION: Incidence and mortality of brain malignancies in Croatia are among the highest in Europe, while reporting on brain malignancies is still poor. There is a need for improved care of patients with brain malignancies and detailed and accurate data reporting.