Cancer prevalence as a measure of cancer burden — Poland in the European context

Introduction. There are an increasing number of people living with a cancer diagnosis. This results in a growing burden on healthcare systems. Cancer prevalence is commonly used as a primary measure of this burden. The aim of this study is to assess cancer prevalence in Poland and to compare it with other European Union countries. Material and methods. The analysis was based on data from ECIS, OECD, EUROCARE-6, and the Polish National Cancer Registry. Five-year and total cancer prevalence was standardized according to the ESP 2013, and was applied herein. Results. Poland is characterized by a lower cancer prevalence than the EU average, although this has been accompanied by a rapid increase over the past two decades. Conclusions. Lower cancer prevalence does not imply a lower cancer burden. This indicator should be more widely used in planning oncological care.