Age- and Sex-Specific Cancer Incidence Among Individuals Aged ≥65 Years: A Population-Based Cancer Registry Study from Izmir. 2015–2020
Abstract
Background and Objective: Population aging is a major driver of the increasing global cancer burden. Yet population-based evidence describing age- and sex-specific cancer incidence among older adults in Türkiye remains limited. This study examined age- and sex-specific cancer incidence among residents aged ≥65 years in Izmir between 2015 and 2020. Material and Methods: This registry-based descriptive epidemiological study analyzed anonymized data from the Izmir Cancer Registry for individuals aged ≥65 years. Participants were stratified by sex and age group (65–69, 70–74, 75–79, 80–84, and ≥85 years). We obtained population denominators from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat). We calculated age-specific incidence rates per 100.000 population using cumulative incident cases and cumulative annual population denominators for the 2015–2020 study period. We also compared annual incidence rates in 2020 with the corresponding mean rates for 2015–2019 for major cancer sites. Results: Among men. Overall cancer incidence peaked at ages 75–79 (2531.0 per 100.000). remained high at ages 80–84 (2523.5). and declined at ages ≥85 (2299.8). Lung. prostate. colorectal. and bladder cancers were the most common malignancies. Among women. overall cancer incidence was highest at ages 80–84 (1167.5 per 100.000). Breast cancer remained the leading malignancy across all age groups. Compared with the 2015–2019 mean annual incidence. rates in 2020 decreased by 25.0% for lung cancer. 41.0% for prostate cancer. and 24.3% for colorectal cancer among men. and by 24.8% for breast cancer and 28.0% for colorectal cancer among women. These reductions may reflect disruptions in cancer detection and registration during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusions: This study demonstrates distinct age- and sex-specific cancer incidence patterns among older adults in Türkiye and a substantial decline in recorded incidence for several major cancers in 2020. The findings may inform cancer prevention strategies. Screening policies. and healthcare planning for Türkiye's rapidly aging population.