Surveillance of cancer incidence in Connecticut counties and towns, 1989-91.

Using the population-based Connecticut Tumor Registry, cancer incidence was examined for residents of Connecticut's eight counties and 169 towns in 1989-91. Findings included high standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) for: certain smoking-related cancers for women in New London County; several cancers (bladder, kidney, and mesotheliomas) for men in Middlesex County; Kaposi's sarcoma in Fairfield County, and in the towns of Hartford and New Haven; skin melanoma in certain ocean-shoreline towns; and invasive cervical cancer in several larger cities. Cancer surveillance data should be useful for promoting such efforts as smoking prevention and cessation, the collection of data on occupation and smoking by physicians and hospitals, reduction in excessive sun exposure, and increased screening for cervical cancer in large towns.