Up-to-date Statistics on Pancreatic Cancer in Israel
Pancreatic cancer is not among the most common cancers in Israel in terms of incidence.
In 2010, 809 patients were newly diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, of whom 723 were Jewish (89%), 54 Arab (7%) and 32 Christians who are not Arabs, and those who unaffiliated with any particular religion ("others") (4%).
In 2010, 810 patients died of invasive pancreatic cancer in Israel, of whom 402 were men, 365 (91%) Jewish men, 32 (8%) Arab men, 5 (1%) "other" men, and 408 were women, 382 (94%) Jewish women, 18 (4%) Arab women and 8 (2%) "other" women.
On 31 December 2010, there were 761 pancreatic cancer patients or survivors in Israel (who were diagnosed from 2006-2010), of whom 671 were Jewish (343 men and 328 women), 46 Arabs (26 men and 20 women) and 44 "others" (18 men and 26 women).
Incidence Rates by Gender
Pancreatic cancer is more common among men than women, in both main population groups (Jewish and Arab). In 2010, the age-standardized incidence rates (per one hundred thousand) for pancreatic cancer in Israel were 8.90 in Jewish men, 6.45 in Jewish women, 6.56 in Arab men and 4.55 in Arab women.
Among the Jewish population, these rates were stable over the past decade, among Arabs, a significantly smaller number of patients were observed, and therefore, the rates are less stable.
Incidence Rates by Age and Ethnicity
Pancreatic cancer is a disease that affects older people. Among the Jewish population in 2010, over half the patients, men and women alike, were over the age of 70 at diagnosis. Among the Arab population, over half of all patients of both sexes were 60 or older at diagnosis.
In 2010, among Jewish males, the highest incidence rate (age-standardized, per one hundred thousand) was observed among those of European-American ethnicity (9.8) and the lowest incidence rate was observed among those of Asian ethnicity (6.9).
Seasonal Trends
Among Jewish men, there has been a significant decline in incidence rates for pancreatic cancer since 1980, and up to the end of the 90s. Since then, there has been a moderate increase in rates, with stability in recent years. Among Jewish women, rates were stable during the 80s, which slightly dropped in the early 90s, and increased once again at the end of the 90s, while maintaining stability in recent years, similar to the statistics among Jewish men.
Among Arabs (men and women alike) an increasing trend has been observed in incidence rates since 1980, however from the middle of the first decade of the 2000s, incidence rates have been stable.
Mortality Rates for Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic cancer is the fourth-leading cause of death in Israel. Among Jewish and Arab men, pancreatic cancer is the third most common cause of cancer death. Among Jewish women, it is the fourth most common, whereas among Arab women, and "other" women, it is the eighth most common.
Age-standardized mortality rates for invasive pancreatic cancer have been stable in recent decades among Jewish males. Among Jewish females, there has been a slight increase in mortality rates for the disease over time. Among the Arab population, there has been an increase in mortality rates for pancreatic cancer over time in both sexes.
Pancreatic Cancer Survivorship in Israel
Among individuals who were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer from 2001-2006, the five-year relative survival rate was very low and stood at 6.2% in men and 5.9% in women.
International Comparison
The incidence and mortality rates for pancreatic cancer in Israel were compared to those of 20 countries with the highest rates in the world, according to the statistics of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) for 2008. These statistics show that Israel's incidence rate is high and ranks fourth worldwide, both in men and in women. Respectively, the pancreatic cancer mortality statistics in Israel are also among the highest in the world, both in men (ranks second, after Uruguay), and in women (ranks fourth).
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