Abstract
We have examined the incidence of non-AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma in Iceland (1955-79) and the Faroe Islands (1974-95). In Iceland, 19 cases, nine in men and ten in women, were identified, and in the Faroe Islands four cases in men and three cases in women were found. This corresponded to surprisingly high incidence rates. In men, world standardized rates (per 100000 person-years) were 0.4 and 0.6 in Iceland and the Faroe Islands, respectively, and for women, the figures were 0.3 (Iceland) and 0.5 (the Faroe Islands). These are among the highest rates ever reported. No explanation for the high rates of Kaposi's sarcoma in these two North Atlantic communities could be identified.
Highlights
In a recent study of classical Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) in four Nordic countries (Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark) before the AIDS epidemic, we reported that highly significant variation in incidence amounting to eightfold in women and 13-fold in men may exist between four ethnically very similar, neighbouring populations (Hjalgrim et al, 1996b)
Within the files of the current registry, all cases of KS diagnosed on the Faroe Islands between 1974 and 1995 were identified for the purpose of the present study
All Faroese patients were married at the time of diagnosis of KS and by the end of 1996 four of the patients had died, between 1 and 22 months after KS
Summary
Case-ascertainment proceduresThe Icelandic Cancer Registry has registered KS separately since its establishment in 1955. For the purpose of the present study, all reports of KS in the registry in the period until 1979 were identified, and the original histological specimens were reviewed by one of us (SH) to confirm the diagnosis. The limitation of the study period was applied to avoid misclassification of cases of AIDSrelated KS, because AIDS diagnoses are not recorded by the registry. Within the files of the current registry, all cases of KS diagnosed on the Faroe Islands between 1974 and 1995 were identified for the purpose of the present study. Because of the extensive validation procedure for all cancers in the registry, cases of AIDSrelated KS could readily be identified and excluded from the study. As in Iceland, all original histological specimens were reviewed to confirm the diagnosis
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