Table 1

Proportions of observed numbers of cases in 1993–97 covered by prediction intervals based on trends up to 1987, by site, sex, country and frequency*.


Number of intervals
Coverage number (%)
P-value for difference

Site


0.54
     Lip
5
2 (40)

     Tongue, oral cavity and pharynx
10
5 (50)

     Oesophagus
10
5 (50)

     Stomach
10
5 (50)

     Colon
10
7 (70)

     Rectum
10
5 (50)

     Pancreas
10
6 (60)

     Larynx
5
3 (60)

     Lung
10
4 (40)

     Breast
5
2 (40)

     Cervix uteri
5
2 (40)

     Corpus uteri
5
2 (40)

     Ovary
5
1 (20)

     Prostate
5
2 (40)

     Testis
5
4 (80)

     Kidney
10
7 (70)

     Urinary bladder
10
5 (50)

     Melanoma of the skin
10
3 (30)

     Thyroid
10
7 (70)

     Non-Hodgkin lymphomas
10
4 (40)

     Hodgkin disease
10
9 (90)

     Multiple myeloma
10
4 (40)

     Acute leukaemia
10
7 (70)

     Other sites
10
3 (30)

Sex


0.67
     Male
100
50 (50)

     Female
100
54 (54)

Country


<0.001
     Denmark
40
18 (45)

     Finland
40
21 (53)

     Iceland
40
35 (88)

     Norway
40
20 (50)

     Sweden
40
10 (25)

Frequency


<0.001
     ≤ 70 per year
50
42 (84)

     > 70 and ≤ 230 per year
50
26 (52)

     > 230 and ≤ 555 per year
50
23 (46)

     > 555 per year
50
13 (26)


*Average number of cases per year in the period 1983–87, grouped into four quartiles.

Møller et al. BMC Medical Research Methodology 2005 5:21   doi:10.1186/1471-2288-5-21