Cancer in the Azores: initial results from a recently established population-based cancer registry

INTRODUCTION: The Azores archipelago has long been the Portuguese region that presents the highest mortality rates for certain cancers. Lack of incidence data has prevented the evaluation of the actual burden of this disease in the Azorean population. METHODS: Malignant tumours (ICD-O 5th Digit /3) initially diagnosed between the January 1st 2000 and December 31st 2002 were retrieved from the database of the recently established population-based cancer registry. Crude, age-specific and age-standardized rates were calculated and confidence intervals were estimated using Poisson approximation. Relative risks of developing cancer in the Azores when compared to mainland Portugal have been represented by standardized ratios. Quality indicators, including Mortality:Incidence (M:I) ratios, were also assessed. RESULTS: Overall, the data shows a high incidence rate for some malignant diseases, specifically in men. Compared to those living in mainland Portugal, both Azorean men (RR 1.412; 99% CI 1.407-1.416) and women (1.127; 1.125-1.129) presented a significantly higher risk of developing cancer, all sites combined. When compared with other cancer registries, a less favourable cancer survival pattern is reported in the Azores, as emphasized by higher M:I ratios for several cancer sites. CONCLUSIONS: A preliminary analysis of the results suggests the presence of some major risk factors in the Azorean population, namely tobacco smoking in men. Higher M:I ratios would also point to survival disparities between the Azores archipelago and the continent, which should be further studied.

Download Full-text

Does access to care play a role in liver cancer survival? The ten-year (2006–2015) experience from a population-based cancer registry in Southern Italy

BMC Cancer ◽

10.1186/s12885-021-07935-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Walter Mazzucco ◽

Francesco Vitale ◽

Sergio Mazzola ◽

Rosalba Amodio ◽

Maurizio Zarcone ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Access To Care ◽

Cancer Registry ◽

Health Care Services ◽

Cancer Survival ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Population Based ◽

Easy Access ◽

Net Survival ◽

Poor Access

Abstract Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most frequent primary invasive cancer of the liver. During the last decade, the epidemiology of HCC has been continuously changing in developed countries, due to more effective primary prevention and to successful treatment of virus-related liver diseases. The study aims to examine survival by level of access to care in patients with HCC, for all patients combined and by age. Methods We included 2018 adult patients (15–99 years) diagnosed with a primary liver tumour, registered in the Palermo Province Cancer Registry during 2006–2015, and followed-up to 30 October 2019. We obtained a proxy measure of access to care by linking each record to the Hospital Discharge Records and the Ambulatory Discharge Records. We estimated net survival up to 5 years after diagnosis by access to care (“easy access to care” versus “poor access to care”), using the Pohar-Perme estimator. Estimates were age-standardised using International Cancer Survival Standard (ICSS) weights. We also examined survival by access to care and age (15–64, 65–74 and ≥ 75 years). Results Among the 2018 patients, 62.4% were morphologically verified and 37.6% clinically diagnosed. Morphologically verified tumours were more frequent in patients aged 65–74 years (41.6%), while tumours diagnosed clinically were more frequent in patients aged 75 years or over (50.2%). During 2006–2015, age-standardised net survival was higher among HCC patients with “easy access to care” than in those with “poor access to care” (68% vs. 48% at 1 year, 29% vs. 11% at 5 years; p < 0.0001). Net survival up to 5 years was higher for patients with “easy access to care” in each age group (p < 0.0001). Moreover, survival increased slightly for patients with easier access to care, while it remained relatively stable for patients with poor access to care. Conclusions During 2006–2015, 5-year survival was higher for HCC patients with easier access to care, probably reflecting progressive improvement in the effectiveness of health care services offered to these patients. Our linkage algorithm could provide valuable evidence to support healthcare decision-making in the context of the evolving epidemiology of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Download Full-text

Occupational disparities in bladder cancer survival: A population‐based cancer registry study in Japan

Cancer Medicine ◽

10.1002/cam4.2768 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 894-901 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Masayoshi Zaitsu ◽

Hye‐Eun Lee ◽

Sangchul Lee ◽

Takumi Takeuchi ◽

Yasuki Kobayashi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bladder Cancer ◽

Cancer Registry ◽

Cancer Survival ◽

Population Based ◽

Registry Study ◽

Occupational Disparities

Download Full-text

Occupational class differences in pancreatic cancer survival: A population‐based cancer registry‐based study in Japan

Cancer Medicine ◽

10.1002/cam4.2138 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Masayoshi Zaitsu ◽

Yongjoo Kim ◽

Hye‐Eun Lee ◽

Takumi Takeuchi ◽

Yasuki Kobayashi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pancreatic Cancer ◽

Cancer Registry ◽

Cancer Survival ◽

Population Based ◽

Occupational Class ◽

Class Differences

Download Full-text

Quality measures of the population-based Finnish Cancer Registry indicate sound data quality for solid malignant tumours

European Journal of Cancer ◽

10.1016/j.ejca.2017.02.017 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 77 ◽

pp. 31-39 ◽

Cited By ~ 62

Author(s):

Maarit K. Leinonen ◽

Joonas Miettinen ◽

Sanna Heikkinen ◽

Janne Pitkäniemi ◽

Nea Malila

Keyword(s):

Data Quality ◽

Cancer Registry ◽

Quality Measures ◽

Population Based ◽

Malignant Tumours ◽

Sound Data

Download Full-text

Studying Survival of Cancer Patients in Different Populations: Its Potential and Role

Tumori Journal ◽

10.1177/030089169708300104 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 83 (1) ◽

pp. 3-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Andrea Micheli ◽

Gemma Gatta ◽

Arduino Verdecchia

Keyword(s):

Cancer Patients ◽

Health Expenditure ◽

Cancer Survival ◽

Relative Survival ◽

Cancer Registries ◽

Population Based ◽

Malignant Neoplasms ◽

Regional Health ◽

Italian Regions ◽

Different Populations

Rationale Survival figures from a population-based study incorporate the overall practice in diagnosis, cure and clinical follow-up for a specific disease within a given health care system. Being the outcome of a number of individual, social and economical aspects, population-based survival may be thought as index for measuring the level of a country's development. Data The EUROCARE project, a European Cancer Registries (CR) concerted action, provided reliable information on survival for more than 800,000 cancer patients from 11 European countries. A great deal of epidemiologic information has derived from EUROCARE. Women had a longer survival than men for all studied tumour sites, except for the colon. European survival variability was fairly high for several cancers, but it was lower for cancers with a relatively good prognosis and those sensitive to treatment. The ranking of populations of cancer survival tended to be fairly stable for many cancers: CR of Switzerland and Finland ranked high and Polish CR low. Denmark, Italian and France CR did not substantially differ from the European survival average. For most cancers, prognosis improved during the studied period (years of diagnosis: 1978–1985). Survival figures for colon (r = 0.74, males; r = 0.73, women) and female breast cancer (r = 0.57) well correlated with the national health expenditure of different participating countries. The ITACARE study, a new Italian Cancer Registries collaborative project involving more than 100,000 cancer patients, was set up to study survival differences within the country. Survival of cancer patients was not homogeneous in 7 studied Italian regions (the estimated 5-year relative survival for all malignant neoplasms combined ranked from 37.8% in CR of Sicily to 42.1% in those of Emilia-Romagna). The lowest levels of regional health expenditures were accompanied by the lowest levels of prognosis for overall cancers. However, a relatively low correlation among patient cancer survival and the regional health expenditure (r = 0.21) was found, suggesting that other factors such as different efficiency in managing cancer may play a role in explaining the intracountry differences. Conclusions Population-based survival figures may be used to study epidemiologic aspects, comparing different health systems, and may be interpreted as indexes for discussing inequalities in health in different populations.

Download Full-text

Differences in cancer survival by area-level socio-economic disadvantage: A population-based study using cancer registry data

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0228551 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

pp. e0228551 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Nina Afshar ◽

Dallas R. English ◽

Tony Blakely ◽

Vicky Thursfield ◽

Helen Farrugia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cancer Registry ◽

Cancer Survival ◽

Population Based ◽

Registry Data ◽

Economic Disadvantage ◽

Population Based Study ◽

Cancer Registry Data

Download Full-text

Pilot Study on the Application of Telemedicine as a Tool for a Population-Based Cancer Registry in Hlegu Township, Yangon Region, Myanmar

Journal of Global Oncology ◽

10.1200/jgo.18.15000 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement 1) ◽

pp. 22s-22s

Author(s):

Khin Saw Aye ◽

KhinThet Wai ◽

Yan Naing Swe ◽

Ssu Wynn Mon ◽

Nan Cho Nwe Mon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Information Technology ◽

Palliative Care ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Cancer Registry ◽

Conflicts Of Interest ◽

Cancer Registries ◽

Population Based ◽

Public Hospitals ◽

Cancer Data ◽

Patients With Cancer

Abstract 57 Purpose The cancer burden is rising and threatens the social and economic development of low- and middle-income countries, including Myanmar, in the ASEAN region. A quality cancer registry plays a unique role in planning, the evaluation of cancer control program, treatment, and palliative care. To date, there is a paucity of studies in Myanmar that have focused on the implementation of a population-based cancer registry. In addition, the concept of telemedicine with the use of information technology applications as appropriate during implementation needs to be introduced. Such an approach may be beneficial to those working at the grassroots level for the overall improvement of the processes of community reporting, confirmation of diagnoses, effective referral for palliative care, and the establishment of cancer registries. Methods A pilot study was therefore carried out to formulate the strategic approach for establishing a population-based cancer registry in Hlegu Township in Northern Yangon District, Myanmar. First, the cancer data entry software was created and installed on mobile phones as an information technology tool to initialize telemedicine. Next, 15 health assistants in Hlegu Township were trained in the collection of data and the entry of basic information on patients with cancer, including name, age, gender, national ID, education, occupation, primary diagnosis, and the site of metastasis of confirmed cancer cases through mobile phone applications and reported to the cancer database unit at the Department of Medical Research. Results A total of 126 patients with cancer were registered in Hlegu Township from June 2016 to May 2017. The estimated prevalence of disease is 4.6 per 10,000 people. The most common age at cancer diagnosis was 46 to 65 years (73.58%). Female sex was 2.5 times predominant than male sex (72% v 27%). Among 91 registered female patients with cancer, the three most common cancers were breast (32.35%), cervix (16.17%) and uterine (15.17%). Eighty-five patients with cancer (67.46%) received their diagnosis in public hospitals. Overall, 59% of patients received combination treatment, 19% received surgery only, 16% were treated with traditional medicine, 3% were treated with radiotherapy only, and 3% were treated with chemotherapy only. Conclusion This study is a first step in applying the concept of telemedicine to the creation of a population-based cancer registry in a resource-limited setting. More concerted efforts are needed to move toward a well-established population-based cancer registry in Myanmar. AUTHORS' DISCLOSURES OF POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST No COIs from the authors.

Download Full-text

Pattern of malignant diseases at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital

Tropical Doctor ◽

10.1258/0049475054037147 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 35 (2) ◽

pp. 91-91 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

M N Okobia ◽

J U Aligbe

Keyword(s):

Teaching Hospital ◽

Cancer Registries ◽

Population Based ◽

Malignant Diseases ◽

Malignant Tumours ◽

Colon And Rectum ◽

The University

This study was designed to evaluate the pattern of malignant diseases seen at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital over a 20-year period (January 1980-December 1999). A total of 2258 histologically confirmed malignant diseases were seen with the predominant tumours comprising carcinoma of the cervix (20.59%), breast (18.25%), prostate (7.13%), endometrium (6.47%) and colon and rectum (5.71%). We believe that the figure reported here represents an underestimate of the frequency of malignant tumours seen in the hospital and recommend the establishment of hospital - and population-based cancer registries to ensure proper documentation of malignant diseases within the region.

Download Full-text

Development of a National Cancer Registry in a Low Resourced Country: The Case of Kenya National Cancer Registry Programme

Journal of Global Oncology ◽

10.1200/jgo.18.87300 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement 2) ◽

pp. 216s-216s

Author(s):

A. Korir ◽

R. Gakunga ◽

N. Okerosi ◽

A. Karagu ◽

N. Buziba ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cancer Registry ◽

Hpv Vaccination ◽

Cancer Registries ◽

Population Based ◽

National Registry ◽

Cancer Registration ◽

National Cancer Registry ◽

Background Population ◽

Geographical Regions ◽

Entire Country

Background: Population-based cancer registration represents the gold standard for the provision of information on cancer incidence in a defined population (Bray F, et. al, IARC Technical Report No. 43). In Kenya, the incidence and prevalence of cancer has not been well documented. The existing population-based cancer registries (PBCRs) cover less than 10% of Kenya's population. Kenya is made up of 47 administrative counties and has a population of over 45 million people. Aim: To establish a National Cancer Registry Program that will compile national data on incidence, mortality and trends of cancer in Kenya over time. Methods: Three functional PBCRs have been in existence covering 3 counties: Nairobi, Eldoret and Kisumu. Needs assessment was conducted in the 3 registries. Additional support and resources were provided. New registries were set up in different geographical regions of Kenya. A centralized office to host the national registry was established and equipped at the Centre for Clinical Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute. Sensitization and awareness activities targeting the leaders in the selected counties were undertaken. Similarly trainings and technical support of the regional registries were conducted. Data were collected on to case registration forms, coded using the International Classification of Diseases for Oncology (ICD-O); data entry, validation and analysis done using IARC software CanReg5. Results: Variations in cancer occurrence in the different counties were noted. However the leading cancers were somewhat similar in the 8 counties with prostate and esophageal cancers being the leading in men while breast and cervical cancer being top among women. These variations could provide understanding on causation of certain types of cancers. Data highlights the need to develop and expand intervention programs like HPV vaccination, screenings, early detection and early treatment. Governments' allocation of resources to cancer registries and surveillance programs is important as well as building partnerships. Conclusion: In countries with limited resources it is expensive to develop a national cancer registry covering the entire country. Our program demonstrates that a national cancer registry program can be established by setting up regional population-based cancer registries that covers a reasonable population of the entire country and aggregating the data in a centralized system. Population-based cancer registries are critical in generating data on burden of cancer in specified populations. These data should be used to inform effective cancer control programs and research.

Download Full-text

Bayesian variable selection and survival modeling: Assessing the most important comorbidities that impact lung and colorectal cancer survival in Spain

10.21203/rs.3.rs-1053024/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Francisco Javier Rubio ◽

Danilo Alvares ◽

Daniel Redondo-Sanchez ◽

Rafael Marcos-Gragera ◽

María-José Sánchez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Overall Survival ◽

Variable Selection ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Cancer Survival ◽

Cancer Registries ◽

Population Based ◽

Bayesian Variable Selection ◽

Vulnerable Groups ◽

Number Of Factors ◽

Bayesian Survival Model

Abstract Cancer survival represents one of the main indicators of interest in cancer epidemiology. However, the survival of cancer patients can be affected by a number of factors, such as comorbidities, that may interact with the cancer tumour. Moreover, it is of interest to understand how different cancer sites and tumour stages are affected by different comorbidities. Identifying the comorbidities that affect cancer survival is thus of interest as it can be used to identify factors driving the survival of cancer patients. This information can also be used to identify vulnerable groups of patients with comorbidities that may lead to a worst prognosis of cancer. We address these questions and propose a principled selection and evaluation of the effect of comorbidities in the overall survival in cancer patients. In the first step, we apply a Bayesian variable selection method that can be used to identify the comorbidities that predict overall survival. In the second step, we build a general Bayesian survival model that accounts for time-varying effects. In the third step, we derive several posterior predictive measures to quantify the effect of individual comorbidities on the population overall survival. We present applications to data on lung and colorectal cancers from two Spanish population-based cancer registries. The proposed methodology is implemented with a combination of the R-packages mombf and rstan. We provide the code for reproducibility at https://github.com/migariane/BayesVarImpComorbiCancer.

Download Full-text