Trends of Mortality from Major Malignant Neoplasms in Japan

The time trends of mortality from major malignant neoplasms in Japan were investigated. The standardized mortality ratio （SMR） of overall malignant neoplasms for male has risen slightly since 1958 and for female declined. The SMRs of malignant neoplasms of stomach for both sexes and uterus have shown decreasing trends. On the other hand, those of malignant neoplasms of biliary tract, lung, colon, and pancreas for both sexes have shown a remarkable tendency to increase. There were sex differences in the SMRs of liver, rectum, and esophagus, and a time difference in the SMRs of liver for male. The distribution of SMRs of selected sites of malignant neoplasms by prefecture revealed geographical differences. A correlation analysis of SMRs showed positive correlations between malignant neoplasms of digestive tract and those of the adjacent organs, biliary tract and pancreas