Showing papers on "Relative survival published in 2002"

Presentation, treatment, and outcome of oral cavity cancer: A national cancer data base report

Abstract: Background Oral cancer has been identified as a significant public health threat. Systematic evaluation of the impact of this disease on the US population is of great importance to health care providers and policy makers. Methods This study used the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) to evaluate associations between demographic and disease characteristics, treatment, and survival for patients with oral cavity cancer in the United States. Of patients diagnosed between 1985 and 1996, 58,976 were extracted from the NCDB. ANOVAs were performed on selected cross-tabulations, and relative survival was used to calculate outcome. Results Median age of patients was 64.0 years. Men made up 60.2% of patients. Pathologic diagnosis was squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in 86.3% of cases. Younger patients had a much higher frequency of non-SCC, and this was related to survival in these patients. African-Americans (independent of income), lower income patients, and patients with higher grade disease were seen more frequently with advanced-stage SCC. Five-year relative survival for SCC cases was lower for older patients, men, and African-Americans. Conclusions This study addressed many issues related to oral cancer that have been previously discussed in the literature. The demographic, site, stage, histologic, and survival data available for this large number of cases in the NCDB allowed an accurate characterization of the contemporary status of oral cancer in the United States. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

National Cancer Data Base Report on Malignant Paragangliomas of the Head and Neck

Abstract: BACKGROUND Malignant paragangliomas of the head and neck are rare, with previous reports limited to nine or fewer patients. The current review included 59 cases extracted from the National Cancer Data Base that were diagnosed between 1985–1996. METHODS The primary criterion for inclusion in the current study was verified metastatic spread from a paraganglioma of the head and neck. Patterns of presentation and treatment as well as clinically relevant associations were demonstrated in contingency tables. Relative survival was used for analysis of outcome. RESULTS The average patient age at presentation was 44 years, and gender distribution was equivalent. Metastases were confined to regional lymph nodes in the majority of cases (68.6%), with carotid body tumors found to have an even higher rate of regional confinement (93.8%). Surgery was the most common treatment (76.3%). The use of adjuvant irradiation for regionally confined disease increased across time, from 27% (1985–1990) to 46% (1991–1996). The 5-year relative survival rate was 59.5% (76.8% for regionally confined carcinoma and 11.8% for distant metastasis). Among patients who were followed until death, those treated with adjuvant irradiation had a longer median survival (45 months) compared with those patients who were treated with surgery alone (12 months). CONCLUSIONS Malignant paraganglioma represents metastatic spread of a tumor type that, when restricted to the site of origin, is considered benign. Metastases from malignant paragangliomas of the head and neck usually are regionally confined. The primary management of a recognized malignancy should be directed toward complete surgical removal of the primary tumor and regional lymph nodes. Postoperative irradiation may be beneficial in slowing the progression of residual disease. Cancer 2002;94:730–7. © 2002 American Cancer Society. DOI 10.1002/cncr.10252

Life-long sustained mortality advantage of siblings of centenarians

Abstract: Although survival to old age is known to have strong environmental and behavioral components, mortality differences between social groups tend to diminish or even disappear at older ages. Hypothesizing that surviving to extreme old age entails a substantial familial predisposition for longevity, we analyzed the pedigrees of 444 centenarian families in the United States. These pedigrees included 2,092 siblings of centenarians, whose survival was compared with 1900 birth cohort survival data from the U.S. Social Security Administration. Siblings of centenarians experienced a mortality advantage throughout their lives relative to the U.S. 1900 cohort. Female siblings had death rates at all ages about one-half the national level; male siblings had a similar advantage at most ages, although diminished somewhat during adolescence and young adulthood. Relative survival probabilities for these siblings increase markedly at older ages, reflecting the cumulative effect of their mortality advantage throughout life. Compared with the U.S. 1900 cohort, male siblings of centenarians were at least 17 times as likely to attain age 100 themselves, while female siblings were at least 8 times as likely.

Incidence and survival of squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue in Scandinavia, with special reference to young adults.

Abstract: In several countries, increased incidence of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the tongue in young adults has been suspected during the last decades Some reports indicate a lower survival rate for young patients compared to older patients In other reports, there has not been any considerable difference in survival when comparing young adults to older patients, whereas some authors have shown better survival for young adults This disease is rare in young adults, and early reports were based on comparable small numbers and selected patients Our aim was first to perform a population-based study to determine if an increased incidence in SCC of the tongue could be verified in a larger population comprising the Scandinavian countries Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway A second aim was to determine survival rates for young adults compared to older patients The material was based on the annual cancer incidence and survival reports from the Scandinavian cancer registries The study period was 1960-1994 During that period, 5,024 SCCs of the tongue were reported Of these, 276 (55%) were young adults (20-39 years) The incidence increased at all ages except for women 65-79 years old The increase was most pronounced in young adults: 006-032 for men and 003-019 for women, counted by 100,000 person-years Relative survival was significantly better for young adults compared to older patients

Up-to-Date Long-Term Survival Curves of Patients With Cancer by Period Analysis

Abstract: PURPOSE: Provision of up-to-date long-term survival curves is an important task of cancer registries. Traditionally, survival curves have been derived for cohorts of patients diagnosed many years ago. Using data of the Finnish Cancer Registry, we provide an empirical assessment of the use of a new method of survival anlysis, denoted period analysis, for deriving more up-to-date survival curves. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We calculated 10-year relative survival curves actually observed for patients diagnosed with one of the 15 most common forms of cancer in 1983 to 1987, and we compared them with the most up-to-date 10-year relative survival curves that might have been obtained in 1983 to 1987 using either traditional (cohort-wise) or period analysis. We also give the most recent 10-year survival curves obtained by period analysis for the 1993 to 1997 period. RESULTS: For all forms of cancer, period analysis of the 1983 to 1987 data yielded survival curves that were very close to the survival curves later obser...

Use of period analysis for providing more up-to-date estimates of long-term survival rates: empirical evaluation among 370 000 cancer patients in Finland

Abstract: Background Providing up-to-date estimates of cancer patient survival rates is an important task of cancer registries. A few years ago, a new method of survival analysis, denoted period analysis, was proposed to enhance the recency of long-term survival estimates. The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive empirical evaluation of the use of this method. Methods Using data from the nationwide Finnish Cancer Registry, we compare 5-year and 10-year relative survival rates of 371 849 patients diagnosed with one of the 16 most common forms of cancer in Finland at various time intervals between 1953 and 1992 with the most up-to-date estimates of 5-year or 10-year relative survival that might have been obtained in those time intervals by traditional methods of survival analysis and by period analysis of survival. Results Survival rates strongly increased over time for most forms of cancer. For these cancers, traditional estimates of 5- and 10-year survival rates would have severely lagged behind the survival rates later observed for newly diagnosed patients, and period analysis would consistently have provided much more up-to-date estimates of survival rates. Conclusions We conclude that period analysis should be implemented as a standard tool for providing up-to-date estimates of long-term survival rates by cancer registries.

Colon cancer in France: evidence for improvement in management and survival

Abstract: Background: Cancer registries recording all cases diagnosed in a well defined population represent the only way to assess real changes in the management of colon cancer at the population level. Aims: To determine trends over a 23 year period in treatment, stage at diagnosis, and prognosis of colon cancer in the Cote-d'Or region, France. Patients: A total of 3389 patients with colon cancer diagnosed between 1976 and 1998. Methods: Time trends in clinical presentation, surgical treatment, chemotherapy treatment, stage at diagnosis, postoperative mortality, and survival were studied. A non-conditional logistic regression was performed to obtain an odds ratio for each period adjusted for the other variables. To estimate the independent effect of the period on prognosis, a relative survival analysis was performed. Results: Between 1976 and 1991, the resection rate increased from 69.3% to 91.9% and then remained stable. This increase was particularly marked in the older age group (56.4% to 90.5%). The proportion of stage III patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy rose from 4.1% for the 1989–1990 period to 45.7% for the 1997–1998 period. Over the 23 years of the study the proportion of stage I and II patients increased from 39.6% to 56.6%, associated with a corresponding decrease in the proportion of patients with advanced stages. Postoperative mortality decreased from 19.5% to 7.3%. This led to an improvement in five year relative survival (from 33.0% for the 1976–1979 period to 55.3% for the 1992–1995 period). Conclusions: Advances in the management of colon cancer have resulted in improving the prognosis of this disease. However, progress is still possible, particularly in the older age group.

Improved survival in both histologic types of oesophageal cancer in Sweden.

Abstract: The prognosis among patients diagnosed with oesophageal cancer is poor with an overall 5-year survival close to 5% in most countries. Improved diagnostic and surgical strategies might influence the survival, however. We investigated the observed and relative survival among all patients in Sweden diagnosed with oesophageal adenocarcinoma (n = 1,441) or squamous cell carcinoma (n = 6395) from 1961-1996 with follow-up to December 1997. Observed survival rates were calculated by the life-table method. Relative survival rates were computed as the ratio of the observed to the expected survival. The expected survival was inferred from the survival among the entire Swedish population in the same age, sex and calendar year strata. The 5-year observed survival rate for adenocarcinoma increased from a stable figure close to 4% during the entire period 1961-1989 to 10.5% during 1990-1996. Similarly, the 5-year relative survival rate was stable around 5% during 1961-1989, but during 1990-1996 the survival was increased to 13.7%. For squamous cell carcinoma, the survival improved slightly by each decade, starting with 3.8% 5-year observed survival in 1961-1969 to 7.0% during 1990-1996. Similarly, the 5-year relative survival improved from 5.0% to 8.9% during the study period. In conclusion, the survival rates for both oesophageal adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma have increased significantly during the 1990s compared to those in the previous 3 decades (p < 0.001).

A computer program for period analysis of cancer patient survival

Abstract: Monitoring of long-term survival rates, which is now routinely performed by many cancer registries throughout the world, should be as up-to-date as possible. A few years ago, a new method of survival analysis, denoted period analysis, has been proposed which provides more up-to-date estimates of long-term survival rates than traditional survival analysis by exclusively reflecting the survival experience of patients within a recent calendar period. However, application of this method has so far been hindered by the lack of pertinent computer programs. In this paper, we present a simple and easy-to-use computer program (SAS macro) that enables one to carry out period analysis (as well as conventional analysis) of both absolute and relative survival rates with the type of data commonly available in population-based cancer registries. We illustrate application of the program with examples from the nationwide Finnish Cancer Registry.

Prostate cancer incidence, mortality, and survival trends in the United States: 1981-2001

Abstract: The increased use of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in screening for preclinical disease after 1985 is thought to be a major determinant of the changing patterns in prostate cancer incidence; however, the long-term effect of screening on future trends in mortality and survival is uncertain. This article reviews the temporal trends (1981-1998) for prostate cancer incidence, mortality, and survival, and projects prostate cancer incidence and mortality rates for 1999 to 2001. Autoregressive, quadratic, time-series models were used to describe prostate cancer mortality rates in the US population and prostate cancer incidence rates derived from the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program. These models were based on data collected from 1979 through 1998, with forecasts produced for 1999 to 2001. Prostate cancer incidence increased steadily from 1981 to 1989, with a steep increase in the early 1990s, followed by a decline. Incidence rates were forecasted to remain stable through the year 2001. Mortality rates decreased steadily and were forecasted to continue to decrease concurrently with increasing 5- and 10-year relative survival rates. The incidence, mortality, and survival trends were comparable in US blacks, who exhibited on average 2-fold higher mortality and 50% higher incidence than whites. Decreasing prostate cancer mortality and increasing relative survival trends in the United States were described after the introduction of PSA screening. However, the exaggerated rate of increase in the early 1990s in prostate cancer incidence was transient and likely a result of increased detection of preclinical disease that was prevalent in the general population.

Long-term survival after laparoscopic colon resection for cancer: complete five-year follow-up.

Abstract: PURPOSE: The role of laparoscopic surgery in the cure of colorectal cancer is controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate long-term survival after curative, laparoscopic resection of colorectal cancer. Specifically, we wanted to review those patients who now had complete five-year follow-up. METHODS: One hundred two consecutive patients (March 1991 to March 1996) underwent laparoscopic colon resections for cancer at one institution and now have complete five-year survival data. Charts were retrospectively reviewed and results compared with conventional surgery, i.e., open colectomy at our institution, and with the National Cancer Data Base during a similar time period. RESULTS: Fifty-nine male and 43 female patients with an average age of 70 (range, 34–92) years made up the study. Complications occurred in 23 percent of patients, and one patient died (1 percent). Forty-four laparoscopic right colectomies, 2 transverse colectomies, 36 laparoscopic left or sigmoid colectomies, 15 laparoscopic low anterior resections, and 5 laparoscopic abdominoperineal resections were performed. The average number of lymph nodes harvested was 6.6 ± 0.61 (range, 0–22). Eight cases (7.8 percent) were “converted to open”; i.e., the typical 6-cm extraction site was lengthened to complete mobilization, devascularization, resection, or anastomosis, or a separate incision was required to complete the procedure. There was one extraction-site recurrence and one port-site recurrence; both occurred before the routine use of plastic-sleeve wound protection. The mean follow-up for laparoscopic colon resection patients was 64.4 ± 2.8 (range, 1–111) months. According to the TNM classification system, 27 patients had Stage I cancer, 37 had Stage II, 23 had Stage III, and 15 had Stage IV. Similar five-year survival rates for laparoscopic and conventional surgery for cancer were noted. The five-year relative survival rates in the laparoscopic colon resection group were 73 percent for Stage I, 61 percent for Stage II, 55 percent for Stage III, and 0 percent for Stage IV. The five-year relative survival rates for the open colectomy and National Cancer Data Base groups were 75 and 70 percent, respectively, for Stage I, 65 and 60 percent for Stage II, 46 and 44 percent for Stage III, and 11 and 7 percent for Stage IV. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic colon resection for cancer is safe and feasible in a private setting. Our data suggest that long-term survival after laparoscopic colon resection for cancer is similar to survival after conventional surgery. Prospective, randomized trials presently under way will likely confirm these results.

Population-based study of factors influencing occurrence and prognosis of local recurrence after surgery for rectal cancer.

Abstract: Background: Few data are available from population-based statistics on the risk of local recurrence after surgery for rectal cancer. The aims of this study were to determine factors influencing local control and to analyse treatment and prognosis of recurrences in a well defined population. Methods: Data were obtained from the cancer registry of the Cote d'Or (France). From 1976 to 1995, 682 patients resected for cure for a rectal carcinoma were included. Recurrence rates and survival rates were calculated using actuarial methods. A relative survival analysis and Cox multivariate analysis were performed. Results: During the study 135 local recurrences were registered. The 5-year cumulative local recurrence rate was 22.7 per cent. In multivariate analysis the two variables significantly associated with local recurrence risk were stage at diagnosis and the macroscopic type of growth. There was a non-significant decrease in local recurrence rate in patients treated by preoperative radiotherapy compared with that in patients treated by surgery alone. The proportion of patients re-resected for cure was 25.2 per cent, and increased from 13.0 per cent in 1976-1985 to 37.9 per cent in 1986-1995 (P = 0.001). The 5-year relative survival rate was 13.6 per cent overall and 40.6 per cent after resection for cure (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Local recurrence of rectal cancer following resection remains a substantial problem. Improvement can be expected from better care and earlier diagnosis.

Projecting SEER cancer survival rates to the US: an ecological regression approach.

Abstract: Objectives: Cancer survival information is available only in areas covered by cancer registration. The objective of this study is to project cancer survival for the entire US as well as states from survival data from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program. Methods: Five-year breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer relative survival rates from SEER are regressed on socioeconomic, demographic, and health variables at the county level. These models are first validated by comparing the observed rates with projected rates for counties not used in the estimation process. Results: Education was the best indicator of longer cancer survival. Other important predictors of the geographical variability of survival varied by cancer site. Better survival was predicted for breast and prostate than for colorectal cancer. Conclusions: Data from cancer registries can be used in ecological models to provide national and state estimates of patients' survival rates. These estimates are useful in targeting areas in which to promote earlier diagnosis or improved access to care, and may also aid in monitoring the quality of survival data collected by individual cancer registries.

Advanced Detection of Time Trends in Long-term Cancer Patient Survival: Experience from 50 Years of Cancer Registration in Finland

Abstract: Timely monitoring of trends in long-term patient survival is an important task of cancer registries. Recently, a new method, denoted period analysis, has been proposed to enhance up-to-date monitoring of survival. The authors assessed the use of period analysis for advanced detection of time trends in long-term cancer patient survival based on data from the nationwide Finnish Cancer Registry by comparing estimates of 10-, 15-, and 20-year relative survival rates obtained by period analysis and by traditional (cohort) analysis of survival at various points of time between 1953 and 1997. Time trends are graphically displayed for the 15 most common forms of cancer. Long-term survival rates strongly improved over time for most forms of cancer. The slope and shape of trend curves obtained by period analysis are very similar to those obtained by traditional survival analysis. However, detection of progress in 10-, 15-, and 20-year survival rates of newly diagnosed patients could have been advanced by 5-10 years, 10-15 years, and 15-20 years, respectively, with the use of period analysis rather than traditional cohort survival analysis. The authors conclude that period analysis should be routinely used to advance detection of progress in long-term cancer patient survival.

Evidence of benefit from centralised treatment of ovarian cancer: a nationwide population-based survival analysis in Finland.

Abstract: To assess the effect of different hospital types or surgical volume on the survival of ovarian cancer patients, a nationwide and population-based analysis was carried out in Finland. The study included all 3,851 ovarian cancer patients operated from 1983–94. The patients were classified according to the hospital of the first surgery. The hospitals were categorized by type (university, central or other hospital) and, separately, into quartiles by the number of operated patients (surgical volume). The patients operated at university hospitals had better survival than those operated in central hospitals, the 5-year relative survival rates (RSR) being 45% (95% CI = 42–48%) and 37% (34–40%), respectively. RSR in the ‘other hospital’ category was 45% (42–48%). The RSR for the patients operated in the highest volume hospitals was 47% (43–50%), and by decreasing volume (quartile) the RSR was 40% (36–43%), 40% (36–43%) and 42% (38–45%), respectively. After controlling for potential confounding by stage and age using regression models, the results remained practically the same. The results indicate that further centralizing of operative treatment of ovarian cancer may still improve survival rates on a population level in Finland. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Long-term follow-up of HIV-positive and HIV-negative individuals in rural Malawi.

Abstract: Objective: To measure the effect of HIV on survival in rural Africa. Design: A retrospective cohort study with more than 10 years follow-up. Methods: Individuals with known HIV status in the 1980s were identified from previous population surveys in Karonga District northern Malawi. Follow-up studies were conducted in 1998–2000 to trace 197 HIV-positive and 396 age-sex-matched HIV-negative individuals and their spouses. Results: Information was obtained on all but 11 index individuals. Half (302) were found and the others were reported to have died (161) or to be alive outside the district (119). Ten year survival was 36% in the HIV-positive cohort and 90% in the initially HIV-negative cohort. The death rate was 93.3 per 1000 person-years in the HIV positive individuals and 11.3 in the initially HIV-negative individuals. Survival time since the initial test in HIV-positive individuals decreased with age but relative survival compared with HIV-negative individuals was similar across age groups. The effect of HIV on survival was similar in men and women. Spouses of HIV-positive individuals had four times the mortality rate and among survivors four times the HIV prevalence of spouses of initially HIV-negative individuals. Conclusion: HIV-infected individuals had very high mortality rates but one-third were still alive at 10 years. This is consistent with median survival from seroconversion being similar to that found in developed countries before antiretroviral therapy. Mortality rates in HIV-positive individuals increased with age but relative mortality changed little with age. (author’s)

Ovarian cancer: patterns of care in Victoria during 1993-1995.

Abstract: Objective: To describe the management of and outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed ovarian cancer during 1993, 1994 and 1995 in Victoria. Design and setting: Retrospective cohort study conducted by surveying doctors involved in managing incident ovarian cancer cases identified from the population-based Victorian Cancer Registry. The survey was conducted in 1997 and the cohort was followed up until the end of 1999 to obtain at least four years of follow-up data on all patients. Patients: All women with invasive epithelial ovarian cancer diagnosed during 1993, 1994 and 1995. Main outcome measures: Reported management in terms of staging, treatment and survival. Results: Management details were obtained for 84.5% (562/665) of eligible patients. Median age at diagnosis was 66 years (range, 22-98 years). Surgery was the primary therapy in 77.2% of women (434/562). Only one in three women had adequate surgery, which was less likely to be performed by general gynaecologists and general surgeons than gynaecological oncologists (21.3% [35/164] v 13.3% [8/60] v 52% [105/202]). After surgery 78.6% of women (341/434) received chemotherapy, usually with platinum-based regimens. The overall five-year relative survival was 46% for women treated surgically; poor survival was related to increasing age, later tumour stage, presence of ascites, residual disease >2 cm and poorer histological differentiation of the tumour. Conclusions: For optimal care a preoperative carcinoma antigen (CA)-125 assay, chest x-ray and pelvic ultrasound should be performed, and early referral to a multidisciplinary unit for definitive surgery is advised. Every effort should be made to adequately stage or debulk the tumour. Women with high-risk early-stage and advanced disease should be considered for platinum-based chemotherapy.

Effect of young age on prostate cancer survival: a population-based assessment (United States).

Abstract: Objective: To assess whether men diagnosed with prostate cancer at younger ages have a poorer prognosis. The influence of select factors (race, marital status, stage, histological grade, histology, presence of comorbid cancer, and time of diagnosis) on the relation between age at diagnosis and survival was considered. Methods: Analyses were based on 289,809 men diagnosed with malignant prostate cancer, ages 40 years and older in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program between 1973 and 1997, actively followed for vital status through 31 December 1998. Cases diagnosed through autopsy or death certificate were excluded. Five-year relative survival and Cox proportional hazards were used for assessment. Results: Five-year relative survival increased, leveled off, and then decreased over the age span. This pattern was most pronounced in men with advanced stage and poor grade tumors. Conditional death hazards that showed significantly higher hazard ratios in younger age groups (i.e. 40–44 and 45–49) represented local/regional stage and poorly differentiated/undifferentiated tumors, distant stage and moderately differentiated, poorly differentiated/undifferentiated, or unknown grade; and unknown stage and unknown grade. The influence of young age on prostate cancer prognosis for advanced stage and poorly differentiated/undifferentiated cases was not significantly influenced by year of diagnosis or race. Conclusions: Younger age is a prognostic factor for prostate cancer survival. The relationship between young age at diagnosis and survival is significantly influenced by stage and histological grade at diagnosis.

Trends in cancer patient survival in Estonia before and after the transition from a Soviet republic to an open-market economy.

Abstract: Cancer patients' survival is strongly dependent on socioeconomic factors, including access to and quality of medical care. During the past decade, Estonia has undergone a major political and economic change from a Soviet republic to an open-market economy country, and the health care system was transformed from a centralised state-controlled system into a decentralised health insurance-based one. Using data from the population-based Estonian Cancer Registry, we assessed trends in cancer patient survival before and after this transition by application of period analysis, a new method of survival analysis, which allows more timely disclosure of time trends than traditional survival analysis. Our study included 83,138 patients diagnosed with 1 of the 11 most frequent malignancies in Estonia from 1969–1998. Patients were followed up to the end of 1998. Despite a moderate increase in 5- and 10-year relative survival over time, prognosis for many common forms of cancer, such as stomach, colorectal, breast and ovarian cancer, remained considerably worse than the survival rates achieved in more affluent European countries many years ago. By contrast, a very steep increase in survival rates was observed for common urologic cancers, including prostate, kidney and bladder cancer, which went along with a rise in incidence rates of these cancers over time. For prostate cancer, similar survival rates as in other European countries have now been achieved. The most likely explanation for these trends is enhanced availability and utilization of laboratory and technical diagnostic equipment. Despite recent improvement, major efforts in delivering modern cancer care to the population of Estonia will be required to close the gap that continues to exist between prognosis of cancer patients in this country and other European countries. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Eleven years' experience with the Biocor stentless aortic bioprosthesis: clinical and hemodynamic follow-up with long-term relative survival rate.

Abstract: Objective. The long-term durability and hemodynamics of stentless valves are largely unknown. Our aim was to prospectively investigate long-term hemodynamic function and clinical outcome after aortic valve replacement with the Biocor stentless aortic bioprosthesis. Patients and methods. Between October 1990 and November 2000 we inserted the Biocor stentless aortic valve in 112 patients (male/female: 38:74) with a mean age of 78.5 years (median 79.3, range 60–88). The predominant diagnosis was aortic stenosis in 86% of the patients. Concomitant coronary artery bypass surgery was performed in 31% of the patients. Average prosthetic valve size was 23.3 ^ 1.6 mm. All patients were followed in a prospective study with a mean follow-up of 66 ^ 33 months. The follow-up was 100% complete with a closing interval from October 1 to December 31, 2001. The observed actuarial survival of patients was compared to expected survival for an age- and gender-matched comparison population as calculated from Swedish life tables by Statistics Sweden. Relative survival rates were calculated annually for the patient population. Results. Early mortality was 7% (8/112). Late mortality was 38% (43/112). Actuarial survival at 5 and 9 years was 74 ^ 5% and 38 ^ 7%, respectively. Observed survival among patients was not different from the expected survival for the comparison population and calculation of relative survival rates indicates a ‘normalized’ survival pattern for the patient population. At 5 and 9 years the actuarial freedom from valve-related death was 94 ^ 3% and 86 ^ 6%; from cardiac death, 82 ^ 4% and 57 ^ 8%; from valve reoperation, 96 ^ 2% and 87 ^ 6%; from structural valve degeneration, 96 ^ 2% and 87 ^ 6%; from thromboembolism, 89 ^ 4% and 71 ^ 9%; and from endocarditis, 96 ^ 2% and 90 ^ 5%. At 9 years the transvalvular mean pressure difference for all valves was 7.3 ^ 1.3 mmHg (range 6–10 mmHg) measured with Doppler echocardiography. Aortic regurgitation progressed slowly over time in a few patients and necessitated reoperation in two patients. Conclusion. The Biocor stentless bioprosthesis has an excellent hemodynamic function and confers a good long-term outcome. This patient population could be regarded as ‘cured’ from valve disease since the observed survival did not differ from the expected survival for an age- and gender-matched Swedish comparison population, a conclusion that is also supported by a constant relative survival after the first postoperative year. However, despite excellent long-term hemodynamics, patients with stentless bioprostheses need to be evaluated with echocardiography at regular intervals to discover the rare cases of progressive aortic regurgitation. q 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

5- and 10-year survival in cancer patients aged 90 and older: a study of 37,318 patients from SEER.

Abstract: Background and Objectives Uncertainty exists about the value of cancer therapy in patients aged 90 years and older. Because of the relative paucity of these patients, as well as the possibility of selection bias in any one institution, the use of a large, total population-based cancer registry was employed. Methods The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) offers a large, total population-based cancer registry. It includes more than 2,000,000 cases in the nine registry data from 1973 to 1998; 37,318 of these are 90 or older and are eligible for follow-up studies. A cross-sectional study of relative survival of all these cases, along with younger age groups for comparison, was carried out. Results After the first year after diagnosis, the annual relative survival is not affected by a patient's age for up to 10 years. Conclusions Age alone is not a contraindication to cancer treatment in the most elderly and, other than in the first year, one can expect the same relative survival in these oldest patients as one does for younger patients. J. Surg. Oncol. 2002;81:113–116. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Prognosis of primary cutaneous lymphomas

Abstract: Introduction The assessment of prognosis is a major step in the management of primary cutaneous lymphomas, as it allows to give patients an accurate information and it directs the treatment choice. Material and methods We performed a literature review of global prognosis and prognostic factors in primary cutaneous lymphomas. We used survival as the main endpoint, in particular specific survival and relative survival which provide accurate estimates of lymphoma-related deaths. Independent prognostic factors identified by multivariate survival analyses were emphasized. Results Overall prognosis of mycosis fungoides has improved during the past decades, possibly because of an increased proportion of cases diagnosed at early stages. Five-year disease-specific or relative survival rates of patients with T1 stage (patch/plaque disease 10 p. 100), T3 (tumor stage) and T4 (generalized erythroderma) are 100 p. 100, 67 to 96 p. 100, 51 to 80 p. 100 and 41 p. 100 respectively. Lymphomatoid papulosis and CD30+ primary cutaneous large T-cell lymphomas have an excellent prognosis, with 5-year survival rates of 100 p. 100 and 96 p. 100 respectively. CD30-negative primary cutaneous large T-cell lymphomas have an aggressive clinical behavior (5-year disease-specific or relative survival: 15 to 21 p. 100). Among primary cutaneous B-cell lymphomas, immunocytomas and marginal-zone B-cell lymphomas are not life-threatening. Follicle center-cell lymphomas that arise on the head and trunk have also an indolent clinical course (5-year specific survival rates: 94 to 97 p. 100). However, few of these lymphomas are composed of more than 50 p. 100 of large cells with round nuclei (centroblasts and/or immunoblasts) and may have a more aggressive clinical course (5-year specific survival: 72 p. 100). Large B-cell lymphomas of the leg often occur in older patients and have a poorer prognosis (5-year specific survival rate: 52 p. 100). Cases with a single lesion and those with a predominance of large cleaved cells (large centrocytes) have a more favorable clinical course than those with multiple tumors or a round cell morphology. Conclusion Clinical, histological and immunophenotypical prognostic factors which have been identified so far may reliably predict the survival outcome in primary cutaneous lymphomas. On this basis, therapeutic guidelines have been proposed. These prognostic data will have to be taken into account when evaluating new potential prognostic factors (e.g. immunophenotypic or molecular) and performing prospective clinical trials.

Population-based survival analysis of colorectal cancer patients in Singapore, 1968–1992

Abstract: Since the 1980s, colorectal cancer incidence in Singapore has ranked second to lung in males and females. We describe a population-based analysis of survival of colorectal cancer patients diagnosed from 1968 to 1992 in Singapore. Data of colorectal cancer patients diagnosed during 1968–1992 were retrieved from the Singapore Cancer Registry. Patients were passively followed up for death to the end of 1997. The final dataset consisted of 10,114 subjects. Observed and relative survival rates were calculated by stage (localized, regional metastases and distant metastases), age, ethnicity and calendar period for both genders. Over the study period, a significant progress in survival of colorectal cancer patients was observed. For localized cancer of the colon, the 5-year age-standardized relative survival (ASRS) increased from 36% in 1968–1972 to 66% in 1988–1992 for males and from 32 to 71% for females. For localized rectal cancer, the 5-year ASRS improved from 25 to 66% for males and from 23 to 66% in females. Similarly, improvement was observed in colorectal cancer patients with regional metastases, but not in those with distant metastases. Calendar year period and clinical stage of disease were identified as major significant prognostic factors of survival for colorectal cancer. The substantially improved colorectal cancer survival rates reflected the interplay of cancer control activities in various areas, such as health promotion, early diagnosis and treatment. Our study shows a unique changing pattern of survival experience for colorectal patients from a country undergoing rapid economic development. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.