Cancer registries can provide evidence-based data to improve quality of care and prevent cancer deaths

National oncofertility registries around the globe: a pilot survey

Purpose

Oncofertility is an emerging discipline which aims to preserve fertility of young cancer patients. As fertility preservation services have become increasingly available to cancer patients in many countries around the globe, it is crucial to establish a foundation of collaborative reporting to continuously monitor and assess oncofertility practices. This survey study investigates the current global landscape of official national oncofertility registries, a vital tool which allows for surveillance of the field.

Methods

An online pilot survey was conducted to give the opportunity to report official national oncofertility registries available in 2022. Survey questions covered the availability of official national registries for oncofertility as well as the official national registries for cancer and assisted reproductive technologies. Participation in the survey was voluntary, anonymous and for free.

Results

According to our online pilot survey, responses were collected from 20 countries including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, Germany, Greece, India, Japan, Kenya, Philippines, Romania, South Africa, Thailand, Tunisia, UK, USA & Uruguay. Only 3 out of the 20 surveyed countries have well-established official national oncofertility registries; and include Australia, Germany & Japan. The Australian official national oncofertility registry is part of Australasian Oncofertility Registry that also includes New Zealand. The German official national oncofertility registry is part of FertiPROTEKT Network Registry for German speaking countries that also includes Austria & Switzerland. The Japanese official national oncofertility registry includes Japan only and called Japan Oncofertility Registry (JOFR). A supplementary internet search confirmed the aforementioned results. Therefore, the final list of countries around the globe that have official national oncofertility registries includes Australia, Austria, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, and Switzerland. Some other countries such as the USA and Denmark are on their way to establish official national registries for oncofertility care.

Conclusion

Although oncofertility services are expanding globally, very few countries have well-established official national oncofertility registries. By reviewing such a global landscape, we highlight the urgent need for having a well-established official national oncofertility registry in each country to monitor oncofertility services in a way that best serves patients.

A joinpoint and age-period-cohort analysis of ocular cancer secular trends in Iran from 2004 to 2016

Investigating secular trends of ocular cancer registration in Iran. After acquiring Iranian national population-based cancer registry data, trends of age-standardised incidence rates (ASIR) of ocular cancers and annual percent changes (APC) between 2004 and 2016 were analysed in age groups, gender, topography and morphology types with joinpoint regression analysis. Age, period, and cohort effects on incidence rates were estimated by age-period-cohort model. Geographic distribution of ASIR was assessed using GIS. Overall ASIR of ocular cancers was 16.04/100,000 (95% CI 15.77-16.32). Joinpoint regression analysis showed a significant increase of ASIR between 2004 and 2009 for males (APC = 5.5, 95% CI  0.9-10.2), ages over 50 years (APC = 5.2, 1.2-9.4), skin/canthus/adnexal cancers (APC = 4.2, 0.8-7.7), and carcinomas/adenocarcinomas (APC = 4.3, 0.6-8.1); however, between 2009 and 2016 a declining trend was observed in all investigated variables. ASIR of retinoblastoma was significantly increased (averaged APC = 20.7, 9-33.7) between 2004 and 2016. age-period-cohort analyses showed that incidence rates of ocular cancers significantly increased with aging, time periods, and birth cohort effects (p < 0.001). ASIR varied from 6.7/100,000 to 21.7/100,000 in Iran. Excepting retinoblastoma, all ocular cancer incidence trends were downward over a 13-year period; however, it was increasing between 2004 and 2009 cancer. ASIR was significant aging in Iran.

Cancer in Lebanon: A Review of Incidence Rates from 2008 to 2015 and Projections Till 2025

Background and Objectives  Cancer carries one of the heaviest burdens globally in terms of mortality. Lebanon is a middle-income Middle East country also plagued with cancer, as such a study and analysis of cancer trends and projections would serve a great benefit in the fight against the disease. Materials and Methods  All data pertaining to cancers in Lebanon were extracted from the National Cancer Registry of Lebanon Web site. Data were analyzed to produce trends over the years of our study (2008-2015). Ten-year projections were further calculated for the top cancers by the primary site using logarithmic models. Results  The top cancers in Lebanon are the breast, lung, colorectal, bladder, and prostate. The top cancers affecting females are the breast, lung, and colorectal. The top cancers affecting males are the prostate, lung, and bladder. Cancer cases are projected to increase in Lebanon over the next 10 years. Conclusion  Lebanon had a steady incidence rate of cancer cases during the time of our study. A more complete understanding of cancer trends and their ultimate reduction will require further research into the origins of specific cancers and the means of prevention and control.

Early Mortality of Prostatectomy vs. Radiotherapy as a Primary Treatment for Prostate Cancer: A Population-Based Study From the United States and East Germany

Objective: To assess the extent of early mortality and its temporal course after prostatectomy and radiotherapy in the general population.

Methods: Data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database and East German epidemiologic cancer registries were used for the years 2005–2013. Metastasized cases were excluded. Analyzing overall mortality, year-specific Cox regression models were used after adjusting for age (including age squared), risk stage, and grading. To estimate temporal hazards, we computed year-specific conditional hazards for surgery and radiotherapy after propensity-score matching and applied piecewise proportional hazard models.

Results: In German and US populations, we observed higher initial 3-month mortality odds for prostatectomy (USA: 9.4, 95% CI: 7.8–11.2; Germany: 9.1, 95% CI: 5.1–16.2) approaching the null effect value not before 24-months (estimated annual mean 36-months in US data) after diagnosis. During the observational period, we observed a constant hazard ratio for the 24-month mortality in the US population (2005: 1.7, 95% CI: 1.5–1.9; 2013: 1.9, 95% CI: 1.6–2.2) comparing surgery and radiotherapy. The same was true in the German cohort (2005: 1.4, 95% CI: 0.9–2.1; 2013: 3.3, 95% CI: 2.2–5.1). Considering low-risk cases, the adverse surgery effect appeared stronger.

Conclusion: There is strong evidence from two independent populations of a considerably higher early to midterm mortality after prostatectomy compared to radiotherapy extending the time of early mortality considered by previous studies up to 36-months.

Unlocking the potential of population-based cancer registries

Population-based cancer registries have improved dramatically over the last 2 decades. These central cancer registries provide a critical framework that can elevate the science of cancer research. There have also been important technical and scientific advances that help to unlock the potential of population-based cancer registries. These advances include improvements in probabilistic record linkage, refinements in natural language processing, the ability to perform genomic sequencing on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue, and improvements in the ability to identify activity levels of many different signaling molecules in FFPE tissue. This article describes how central cancer registries can provide a population-based sample frame that will lead to studies with strong external validity, how central cancer registries can link with public and private health insurance claims to obtain complete treatment information, how central cancer registries can use informatics techniques to provide population-based rapid case ascertainment, how central cancer registries can serve as a population-based virtual tissue repository, and how population-based cancer registries are essential for guiding the implementation of evidence-based interventions and measuring changes in the cancer burden after the implementation of these interventions.

Unlocking the potential of population-based cancer registries

Population-based cancer registries have improved dramatically over the last 2 decades. These central cancer registries provide a critical framework that can elevate the science of cancer research. There have also been important technical and scientific advances that help to unlock the potential of population-based cancer registries. These advances include improvements in probabilistic record linkage, refinements in natural language processing, the ability to perform genomic sequencing on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue, and improvements in the ability to identify activity levels of many different signaling molecules in FFPE tissue. This article describes how central cancer registries can provide a population-based sample frame that will lead to studies with strong external validity, how central cancer registries can link with public and private health insurance claims to obtain complete treatment information, how central cancer registries can use informatics techniques to provide population-based rapid case ascertainment, how central cancer registries can serve as a population-based virtual tissue repository, and how population-based cancer registries are essential for guiding the implementation of evidence-based interventions and measuring changes in the cancer burden after the implementation of these interventions.

Triple-negative breast cancer in the elderly: Prognosis and treatment

Our objective is to characterize treatment of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) in older patients and measure mortality risk relative to younger women. We conducted a retrospective cohort study analysis of patients presenting with primary TNBC, age 25-93, stage I-III from 1990 to 2014, identified and tracked by our registry (n=771). Clinical characteristics were chart abstracted at diagnosis and follow-up. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to measure disease-specific survival (DSS) by age with Cox regression modeling for relative contribution of patient and clinical characteristics. Of patients, 80% were <65 years (n=612), 13% were 65-74 years (n=100), and 7% were 75 and older (n=59). Older women presented more often with lower stage BC (stage I: 31% age <65, 48% age 65-74, 39% age 75+; P=.014). All three age groups were equally likely to have radiation therapy (77%) but older patients were less often treated with adjuvant chemotherapy (<65=95%, 65-74=76%, 75+=39%; P<.001). Mean follow-up was 7.34 years and did not differ by age. Five-year DSS was equivalent across the three age groups (<65=85%, 65-74=90%, 75+=83%, P=.322). In Cox regression analysis controlling for stage, histologic and nuclear grade, diagnosis year, radiation and chemotherapy treatment, age was not significantly associated with disease-specific mortality. TNBC survival appears equivalent by age despite less aggressive treatment in patients 75 years and older. This may be a result of lower stage at diagnosis and decreased disease virulence resulting in comparative survival despite less treatment.