Trends in Prostate Cancer Incidence and Mortality in New Mexico Are Consistent with an Increase in Effective Screening1

The increasing occurrence of prostate cancer in the United States has led to recommendations for routine prostate cancer screening in men aged 50 years and older. Although present methods of prostate cancer screening have not been shown to reduce mortality, screening using digital rectal examination or prostate-specific antigen does detect tumors at earlier stages. To assess whether trends in incidence and mortality rates are consistent with an increase in effective screening in New Mexico, we examined prostate cancer incidence rates calculated from data colleded by the New Mexico Tumor Registry for the years 1 969-1 991, and mortality rates calculated from data colleded by the New Mexico Bureau of Vital Statistics for the years 1 958-1 991. Population-base