Deaths from Cancer

Abstract

This chapter provides maps which show geographical inequalities in mortality from major cancer sites in Japan from 1995 to 2014. Cancer is the most common cause of death in Japan, accounting for 28.9% of all deaths from 2010 to 2014. The geographical distribution of standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) differs according to cancer site, and this is probably related to their risk factors. Cartograms highlight that urban areas, particularly the Tokyo and Osaka metropolitan areas, have higher SMRs for female breast, lung, oesophageal and ovarian cancer. SMRs for stomach, colorectum and lung cancer were higher in the Tohoku region, which might be related to high prevalence of smoking and heavy alcohol consumption. Age-standardised mortality rates (ASMRs) for all cancers have continuously decreased due to the notable reduction in stomach and liver cancer mortality. However, ASMRs for pancreatic, breast, cervical and uterine corpus cancer and malignant mesothelioma have increased. Socioeconomic inequalities in cancer mortality have widened during the last 2 decades. The widest gap in mortality was observed in liver cancer in the 1990s, but this reduced markedly between 2010 and 2014. Recently, lung cancer mortality has shown the widest absolute inequalities for both sexes. Liver cancer and leukaemia mortalities have also shown large relative indices (RIIs) of inequalities for both sexes. Inverse inequalities, i.e. higher ASMRs, in breast and ovarian cancer, were observed in less deprived areas than in more deprived areas; SMRs of these cancers were high in urban areas.