| Version history |
Notes |
1. Warning: Coding of cancer incidence and cancer mortality might differ between countries, especially in earlier years. We have tried to convert data from the national cancer and mortality registries to datasets according to international rules, as described in some of the notes below. Some differences due to variations in coding between countries may still exist. Some of the known problems are also described below. |
2. The incidence data was delivered by the national Cancer Registries. In
collaboration with the Registries, data was first recoded to ICD-O-3. The
IARCcrgTools software was used in the process of recoding to ICD-O-3
and afterwards to ICD-10, and to count multiple cancers in the same site as one
only (following the IARC/IACR
rules, 2004). At last the data was converted into the NORDCAN
“entity” schema. In consequence, the numbers presented in NORDCAN may
not correspond exactly to those published by the National Cancer
Registries or in international studies such as
Cancer Incidence in Five Continents.
 The incidence of bladder tumours may not be comparable between the Nordic countries due to varying coding practice
over time concerning non-invasive tumours; included all years in Denmark and never in Finland.
The incidence of brain and central nervous system tumours may not be comparable between Nordic countries because of the inclusion of benign or unspecified tumours.
The incidence of skin, non-melanoma is before 1978 not comparable between Denmark and the other Nordic countries because Denmark is the only country which includes basal cell carcinoma in the period 1943-1977.
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3. The mortality data was first converted to ICD-10 and then into the NORDCAN
“entity” schema. The data is based on the national mortality registers. In
Finland the mortality data was based on the cancer register record indicating
whether or not the patient died from the registered cancer.
Numbers of Danish cancer deaths in 2007, 2008 and 2009 are too low, 3.5, 4.0 and 5.3%, respectively, are missing cause of death.
Gallbladder mortality is missing, and here set to 0 up till 1960 for Denmark and Sweden, 1957 for Iceland, and 1968 for Norway.
Pleura mortality is missing, and here set to 0 up till 1960 for Denmark and Sweden and untill 1968 for Norway.
Acute and other leukaemia mortality can not be separated with certainty for the early years. Acute leukaemia is set to 0 and leukaemia mortality reported in other leukaemia up till 1960 for Denmark and Sweden, while acute leukaemia mortality is too low and other leukaemia too high in Iceland and Norway up till 1960.
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4. Prevalence is calculated for each country from follow-up of each cancer patient for death and emigration through linkage of the cancer register and the population register.
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5. The survival data stems from the project “The survival of cancer patients diagnosed 1964-2003 in the Nordic countries” originally published in Acta Oncologica 2010 issue 5, supplemented with 1-year survival and cohort methods for the last 5-year period. Links to the papers can be found at www.ancr.nu/cancer_survival.asp.
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6. The database is organised by country, data type (incidence, mortality, prevalence and survival), year or period (survival data), cancer, sex and age-group. The NORDCAN database does not
contain individual records.
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7. Data from the Faroe Islands are new and should be considered preliminary. They are therefore not included in the "Nordic countries" group.
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8. Regional information might not add up to the national level since a few persons do not have information on region.
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The data files have been converted at the Secretariat for NORDCAN. The final
database for the Internet access has been build up by the Section of Cancer Information (CIN) at IARC.
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Different coding classification systems have been used over time. Jumps in the
incidence and mortality rates might occur at the points of change due to
ICD-versions not being completely comparable (i.e. liver cancer) and/or
conversion problems. The tables below show for each country the time periods
where a specific ICD version has been used in the coding of diagnoses for
incidence and for mortality.
| Years of ICD-versions used for incidence coding by
country |
| Country |
ICD-7 |
ICD-9 |
ICD-O-1 |
ICD-O-2 |
ICD-O-3 |
| Denmark |
1943-1977 |
- |
1978-2003 |
- |
2004-present |
| Faroe Islands |
- |
- |
- |
1960-present |
- |
| Finland |
1952-about 2006 |
- |
- |
- |
About 2007-present |
| Iceland |
1955-1979 |
1980-1982 |
1983-1990 |
1991-2002 |
2003-present |
| Norway |
1952-1992 |
- |
- |
1993-present |
- |
| Sweden |
1958-1992 |
- |
- |
1993-2004 |
2005-present |
More specific details can be seen in a survey of the Nordic cancer registries
at page 11 downloadable from
http://www.ancr.nu/survey.asp
| Years of ICD-versions used for mortality coding by
country |
| Country |
ICD-6 |
ICD-7 |
ICD-8 |
ICD-9 |
ICD-10 |
| Denmark |
1951-1957 |
1958-1968 |
1969-1993 |
- |
1994-present |
| Faroe Islands |
- |
- |
1991-1993 |
- |
1994-present |
| Finland |
- |
1952-1968 |
1969-1986 |
1987-1995 |
1996-present |
| Iceland |
- |
1951-1970 |
1971-1980 |
1981-1995 |
1996-present |
| Norway |
1951-1957 |
1958-1968 |
1969-1985 |
1986-1995 |
1996-present |
| Sweden |
1952-1959 |
1960-1968 |
1969-1986 |
1987-1996 |
1997-present |
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Queries about the data process should be directed to the Secretariat for the
NORDCAN product, Danish Cancer Society, Dept. of Cancer Prevention and
Documentation, Strandboulevarden 49, DK-2100 Copenhagen O. Att. G. Engholm (gerda@cancer.dk)
or H.H. Storm (hans@cancer.dk)
or to the national representatives.
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