Approximation of the age distribution of cancer incidence using a mutational model

The approximation of the age distributions of cancer was carried out using a complex mutational model presented in our work [1]. Datasets from the American National Cancer Institute (SEER program) were used. We approximated the data of age distributions of lung, stomach, colon and breast cancer in women; cancer of the lung, stomach, colon and prostate in men. The average number of mutations (required for cancer formation) averaged over the four types of cancer is 5.25 mutations per cell in women and 5.5 mutations per cell in men. The average (over the four types of cancer) mutation rate is estimated as 0.0004 mutations per year per cell for women and 0.0008 mutations per year per cell for men. This article is a continuation of work [1].

Reporting Incidences of Neuroblastoma in Various Resource Settings

PURPOSE The incidences of neuroblastoma (NB) differ significantly between various resource settings because of varying quality of cancer registries and underdiagnoses. This study aimed to evaluate current regional variations as reported by international cancer registries and the theoretical and reported differences in international NB incidences and to evaluate South Africa (SA) as a case for variable reporting. METHODS A comprehensive literature review on registries reporting on NB was performed to construct incidence tables. The SEER Program incidence of 10.5/million children was used to calculate the expected number of NB cases for each country. Registry data of NB cases between 2000 and 2016 were requested from The South African National Cancer registry (SA-NCR) and the South African Children's Tumour Registry (SACTR) for comparison and to perform a probabilistic linkage study. RESULTS Internationally, incidences varied between –97.1% and +80% compared with the SEER program. SA under-reported NB cases by an estimated 74.2%. Between 2000 and 2016, the SA-NCR reported between 23 and 51 cases/year, whereas the SACTR reported between 18 and 57 cases/year for the same period. The incidence reported by the SA-NCR varied between 1.5 and 2.8/million children under 15-year per year, whereas the SACTR reported 1.74-2.6 cases/million children. Both registries reported incidences less than high-income country. A probabilistic record linkage of the two registries resulted in a combined incidence of 2.9 cases/million children. CONCLUSION As with most low- and middle-income countries, SA has either a lower incidence or underdiagnoses of NB cases. The reasons for under-reporting are not clear, but can be due to undiagnosed NB cases with spontaneous regression, missed possible cases because of lack of autopsies, and diagnosed cases not recorded in registries.

Malignant thyroid teratoma: an integrated analysis of case series and case reports

Malignant thyroid teratoma (MTT) is a very rare thyroid malignancy. These neoplasms have been reported only in case reports and small-sized case series so far. In this study, we searched for MTTs in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result (SEER) program during 1975-2016. Subsequently, we incorporated the SEER data with published MTT cases in the literature to analyze the characteristics and prognostic factors of MTTs. Integrated data were analyzed using Chi-square or Fisher’s exact test for categorical covariates, and t-test or Mann-Whitney test for continuous variables. We included 28 studies with 36 MTT cases and found additional 8 cases from the SEER program for final analyses. Our results showed that MTT is typically seen in adult females. These neoplasms were associated with an aggressive clinical course with high rates of extrathyroidal extension (80%) and nodal involvement (62%). During follow-up, the development of recurrence and metastases were common (42% and 46%, respectively), and one-third of patients died at the last follow-up. Large tumor size (p = 0.022) and the presence of metastases during follow-up (p = 0.008) were associated with a higher mortality rate. In conclusion, our study demonstrated the characteristic features of MTT patients and outlined some parameters associated with a negative outcome which could help clinicians better predict the clinical course of these neoplasms.

The Effectiveness of Different Treatment Modalities of Cutaneous Angiosarcoma: Results From Meta-Analysis and Observational Data From SEER Database

IntroductionCutaneous angiosarcoma (cAS) is an aggressive vascular tumor that originates from vascular or lymphatic epithelial cells. To date, the cAS literature has been limited in a small number with single-center experiences or reports due to its rarity and the optimal treatment strategy is still in dispute. This study aimed to conduct a systematic review and compare the effect of available treatments retrieved from observational studies and Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program.MethodsThe authors performed a systematic review in the PubMed, Embase and MEDLINE database identifying the researches assessing the treatment for cAS patients. Clinical and treatment information of patients who had been diagnosed with a primary cAS were also obtained from the SEER program.ResultsThirty-two studies were eligible but only 5 of which with 276 patients were included in meta-analysis since the unclear or unavailable information. The risk ratio of 5-year death for surgery, surgery with radiotherapy and surgery with chemotherapy were 0.84, 0.96, and 0.69. Meanwhile, in SEER database, there are 291 metastatic and 437 localized patients with cAS. The localized patients receiving surgery showed a significantly worse overall survival result when compared with the surgery combined with RT: hazard ratio: 1.6, 95% confidential interval: 1.05, 2.42, P = 0.03.ConclusionIn conclusion, our study provided a detailed picture of the effectiveness of present treatments for localized and metastatic cAS patients. The CT could be inappropriate in localized patients. For metastatic patients, the surgery combined RT was recommended compared with surgery alone since its enhanced OS prognosis. Yet, more novel-designed clinical trials with specific targeted populations and rigorous conducting are needed for a solid conclusion on which would be a better treatment strategy.