Epidemiology of prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is one of the most important cancers in men. With a worldwide incidence of 25.3 per 100,000 it is the second most common cancer in men, with large differences between countries. Important clues on risk factors remain to be found. Age, genetic factors and environmental influences have been studied. Incidence has been increasing over the last few decades, largely due to early detection procedures. The mortality rate of 8.1 per 100,000 mainly affects men at older ages; increases in this rate over time and differences between countries are markedly smaller than for incidence. For the future, prostate cancer will remain an important and--through evolutions in incidence and demography--growing health problem.