Skip to main content
Log in

Descriptive epidemiology of primary cancer of the brain, cranial nerves, and cranial meninges in New Zealand, 1948–88

  • Research Papers
  • Published:
Cancer Causes & Control Aims and scope Submit manuscript

We used New Zealand data on occurrence of different types of brain cancer to investigate: (i) a possible secular increase which has been seen worldwide and has generated considerable debate; (ii) possibly higher rates among Maori; and (iii) possibly higher risks related to social class and occupation. Data from the NZ Cancer Registry on the 5,684 brain cancers diagnosed among NZ residents from 1948–88 were used to study the pattern of occurrence by gender, age, race, calendar year, social class, occupation, and histology. Agestandardized brain-cancer incidence rates per 100,000 more than doubled over the 41-year period (from 2.9 to 6.9 in males and from 2.1 to 5.1 in females). A strong trend of increasing incidence with increasing social class is seen in males (P trend=0.01). Among Maori, the proportion of all brain cancer that is medulloblastoma is four times that among non-Maori, and the proportion of all brain cancers that lack histologic confirmation is about 40 percent higher. Elevated risks are seen among: dairy farmers (odds ratio [OR]=3.4, 95 percent confidence interval [CI]=1.9–6.0); sheep handlers (OR=2.7, CI=1.4–5.3); livestock workers (OR=3.8, CI=1.7–8.4); and farm managers (OR=3.2, CI=1.4–7.2); as well as among electrical engineers (OR=8.2, CI=20–34.7); electricians (OR=4.6, CI=1.7–12.2); and other electrical workers. Brain cancer rates in NZ have increased steadily since 1948, but this increase has leveled off in the most recent five-year period. Although brain cancer rates are likely to be underestimated among the Maori, an excess of medulloblastoma is evident in this group.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Boring CC, Squires TS, Tong T. Cancer statistics, 1991. CA Cancer J Clin 1991; 41: 19–36.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Preston-Martin S, Mack W. Nervous system. In: Schottenfeld D, Fraumeni JF Jr, eds. Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention, 2nd ed, Ch. 58 (in press).

  3. Whelan SL, Parkin DM, Masuyer E, eds. Patterns of Cancer in Five Continents. Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer, 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Davis DL. International trends in cancer mortality in France, West Germany, Italy, Japan, England and Wales, and the USA. Lancet 1990; 336: 474–81.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Greig NH, Ries LG, Yancik R, Rapoport SI. Increasing annual incidence of primary malignant brain tumors in the elderly. JNCI 1990; 82: 1621–24.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Boyle P, Maissonneuve P, Sarraci R, Muir CS. Is the increased incidence of primary malignant brain tumors in the elderly real? JNCI 1990; 82: 1594–6.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Polednak AP. Time trends in incidence of brain and central nervous sytem cancers. JNCI 1991; 83: 1679–81.

    Google Scholar 

  8. World Health Organization. Manual of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Injuries and Causes of Death. 7th revision. Geneva: WHO, 1954.

    Google Scholar 

  9. World Health Organization. Manual of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Injuries and Causes of Death. 8th revision. Geneva: WHO, 1967.

    Google Scholar 

  10. World Health Organization. Manual of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Injuries and Causes of Death. 9th revision. Geneva: WHO, 1977.

    Google Scholar 

  11. World Health Organization. International Classification of Diseases for Oncology. 1st edition, Geneva: WHO, 1976.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Waterhouse J, Muir C, Correa P, Powell J, Davis W, eds. Cancer Incidence in Five Continents. Vol III. Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer, 1976.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Pearce NE, Smith AH. Computer package for standardisation of population rates: illustrated with New Zealand colorectal mortality data (Abstract). Community Health Stud 1983; 7: 92.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Mantel N. Chi-square tests with one degree of freedom: Extensions of the Mantel-Haenszel procedure. J Am Stat Assoc 1963; 58: 690–700.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Harrell F. The logist procedure. In: SAS Supplemental Library User's Guide. Cary, North Carolina: SAS Institute, 1983.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Department of Statistics, New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations. Wellington: Department of Statistics, 1980.

    Google Scholar 

  17. International Labour Office. International Standard Classification of Occupations. Geneva: ILO, 1968.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Elley WB, Irving JC. Revised socio-economic index for New Zealand. NZ J Ed Stud 1976; 11: 25–36.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Irving JC, Elley WB. A socio-economic index for the female labour force in New Zealand. NZ J Ed Stud 1977 Nov; 12: 154–63.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Smith AH, Pearce NE, Callas PW. Cancer case-control studies with other cancers as controls. Int J Epidemiol 1988; 17: 298–306.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Foster FH. The New Zealand Cancer Registry. NZ Med J 1977; 86: 341–3.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Percy AK, Elveback LR, Okazaki H, Kurland LT. Neoplasms of the central nervous system. Neurology 1972; 22: 40–8.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Mao Y, Desmeules M, Semenciw RM, Hill G, Gaudette L, Wigle D. Increasing brain cancer rates in Canada. Can Med Assoc J 1991; 145: 1583–91.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Garfinkel L, Sarokhan B. Trends in brain cancer tumor mortality and morbidity in the United States. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1982; 381: 1–5.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Brown PG. An Investigation of Official Ethnic Statistics. Wellington: New Zealand Department of Statistics, 1983; Occasional Paper no. 5.

    Google Scholar 

  26. Smith AH, Pearce NE. Determinants of differences in mortality between New Zealand Maoris and non-Maoris aged 15–64. NZ Med J 1984; 97: 101–8.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Review Committee on Ethnic Statistics. Report of the Review Committee on Ethnic Statistics. Wellington: New Zealand Department of Statistics, 1988.

    Google Scholar 

  28. Graham P, Jackson R, Beaglehole R, deBoer G. The validity of Maori mortality statistics. NZ Med J 1989; 102: 124–6.

    Google Scholar 

  29. Tipene-Leach D, Stewart A, Beaglehole R. Coronary heart disease mortality in Auckland Maori and Europeans. NZ Med J 1991; 104: 55–7.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Preston-Martin S. Descriptive epidemiology of tumors of the brain, cranial nerves and cranial meninges in Los Angeles County. Neuroepidemiol 1989; 8: 283–95.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Buell P, Dunn JE, Breslow L. The occupational-social class risks of cancer mortality in men. Cancer 1960; 12: 600–21.

    Google Scholar 

  32. Davis PB. Office encounters in general practice in the Hamilton Health District I: Social class patterns among employed males, 15–64. NZ Med J 1985; 98: 789–92.

    Google Scholar 

  33. Reif JS, Pearce N, Fraser J. Occupational risks for brain cancer: a New Zealand Cancer Registry-based study. J Occup Med 1989; 31: 863–7.

    Google Scholar 

  34. Pearce N, Reif J, Fraser J. Case-control studies of cancer in New Zealand electrical workers. Int J Epidemiol 1989; 18: 55–9.

    Google Scholar 

  35. Lin RS, Dischinger PC, Conde J, Farrell KP. Occupational exposure to electromagnetic fields and the occurrence of brain tumors: an analysis of possible associations. J Occup Med 1985; 27: 413–9.

    Google Scholar 

  36. Thomas TL, Stolley PD, Stemhagen A, et al. Brain tumor mortality risk among men with electrical and electronics jobs: a case-control study. JNCI 1987; 79: 233–8.

    Google Scholar 

  37. Preston-Martin S, Mack W, Henderson BE. Risk factors for gliomas and meningiomas in men in Los Angeles County. Cancer Res 1989; 49: 6137–43.

    Google Scholar 

  38. Loomis DP, Savitz DA. Mortality from brain cancer and leukaemia among electrical workers. Br J Ind Med 1990; 47: 633–8.

    Google Scholar 

  39. Schlehofer B, Kunze S, Sachsenheimer W, Blettner M, Niehoff D, Wahrendorf J. Occupational risk factors for brain tumors: results from a population-based case-control study in Germany. Cancer Causes Control 1990; 1: 209–15.

    Google Scholar 

  40. Mack W, Preston-Martin S, Peters JM. Astrocytoma risk related to job exposure to electric and magnetic fields. Bioelectromagnetics 1991; 12: 57–66.

    Google Scholar 

  41. Ahlbom A, Norell S, Rodvall Y. Dentists, dental nurses, and brain tumours. Br Med J 1986; 292: 662.

    Google Scholar 

  42. Musicco M, Sant M, Molinari S, Filippini G, Gotta G, Berrino F. A case-control study of brain gliomas and occupational exposure to chemical carcinogens: the risk to farmers. Am J Epidemiol 1988; 128: 778–85.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors

Additional information

This work was performed in the Department of Medicine, Wellington School of Medicine, University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand. Authors also are affiliated with the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA (Dr Preston-Martin), the International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France (Ms Winkelmann), and the Department of Health, Wellington, New Zealand (Dr Borman and Ms Auld). Address correspondence to Dr Preston-Martin, Department of Preventive Medicine-PMB-B301, 1420 San Pablo, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA. Work was supported by a Fogarty Senior International Fellowship (1 F06 TWO1725), a Faculty Research Award from the American Cancer Society, and a NZ HRC Senior Research Fellowship.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Preston-Martin, S., Lewis, S., Winkelmann, R. et al. Descriptive epidemiology of primary cancer of the brain, cranial nerves, and cranial meninges in New Zealand, 1948–88. Cancer Causes Control 4, 529–538 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00052428

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00052428

Key words

Navigation