Ovarian cancer in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the 1996 - 2010 period.
AIM To investigate the ovarian cancer incidence for the period 1996-2010 in the Federation Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBandH) emphasizing that there is no official cancer database for that period. METHODS This retrospective study analyzed ovarian cancer incidence in the period 1996-2000 and an estimation of incidence for the period 2000-2010 based on this data, as well as on 2007 -2010 incidence according to the Federal Public Health Institute. RESULTS The incidence of ovarian cancer in the period 1996-2000 was 3.68-6.38/100.000. The estimate of incidence for the period 2000-2010 resulted with the rate of 14.6 at the end of the analyzed period. According to the Federal Public Health Institute, incidence for the period 2007-2010 was 11.4-12.4/100.000. CONCLUSION According to different sources incidence of ovarian cancer in the Federation BH varies from 11.4-12.4/100.000, which is lower than the incidence for Southern Europe and neighboring countries. Incidence published by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (2008) for BH (both entities) was 10.1/100.000. An increasing trend of incidence is evident too. However, in FBiH a cancer database does not exist, while the system of cancer registration does not function or operate without proper coordination. A further main task for health authorities is to establish a functional system of cancer registration and a database, which would enable a follow-up and work on prevention and early detection of ovarian cancer.