Trends in Breast Cancer Incidence and Stage Distribution Before and During the Introduction of the Mammography Screening Program in Lithuania

An analysis of time trends in breast and prostate cancer mortality rates in Lithuania, 1986-2020

Background

Breast cancer (BC) and prostate cancer (PC) mortality rates in Lithuania remain comparatively high despite the ongoing BC and PC screening programmes established in 2006. The aim of this study was to investigate time trends in BC and PC mortality rates in Lithuania evaluating the effects of age, calendar period of death, and birth-cohort over a 35-year time span.

Methods

We obtained death certification data for BC in women and PC in men for Lithuania during the period 1986–2020 from the World Health Organisation database. Age-standardised mortality rates were analysed using Joinpoint regression. Age-period-cohort models were used to assess the independent age, period and cohort effects on the observed mortality trends.

Results

Joinpoint regression analysis indicated that BC mortality increased by 1.6% annually until 1996, and decreased by − 1.2% annually thereafter. The age-period-cohort analysis suggests that temporal trends in BC mortality rates could be attributed mainly to cohort effects. The cohort effect curvature showed the risk of BC death increased in women born prior to 1921, remained stable in cohorts born around 1921–1951 then decreased; however, trend reversed in more recent generations. The period effect curvature displayed a continuous decrease in BC mortality since 1991–1995. For PC mortality, after a sharp increase by 3.0%, rates declined from 2007 by − 1.7% annually. The period effect was predominant in PC mortality, the curvature displaying a sharp increase until 2001–2005, then decrease.

Conclusions

Modestly declining recent trends in BC and PC mortality are consistent with the introduction of widespread mammography and PSA testing, respectively, lagging up to 10 years. The study did not show that screening programme introduction played a key role in BC mortality trends in Lithuania. Screening may have contributed to favourable recent changes in PC mortality rates in Lithuania, however the effect was moderate and limited to age groups < 65 years. Further improvements in early detection methods followed by timely appropriate treatment are essential for decreasing mortality from BC and PC.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-022-14207-4.

Associations between comorbidities and advanced stage diagnosis of lung, breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Comorbidities and advanced stage diagnosis (ASD) are both associated with poorer cancer outcomes, but the association between comorbidities and ASD is poorly understood. We summarized epidemiological evidence on the association between comorbidities and ASD of selected cancers in a systematic review and meta-analysis. We searched PubMed and Web of Science databases up to June 3rd, 2021 for studies assessing the association between comorbidities and ASD of lung, breast, colorectal, or prostate cancer. Summary odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were calculated using random-effects models. Also, potential variations in the associations between comorbidities and ASD by cancer type were investigated using random-effects meta-regression. Thirty-seven studies were included in this review, including 8,069,397 lung, breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer patients overall. The Charlson comorbidity index score was positively associated with ASD (stages III-IV) of breast cancer but was inversely associated with ASD of lung cancer (p_interaction = 0.004). Regarding specific comorbidities, diabetes was positively associated with ASD (OR = 1.17, 95%CI = 1.09-1.26), whereas myocardial infarction was inversely associated with ASD (OR = 0.84, 95%CI = 0.75-0.95). The association between renal disease and ASD differed by cancer type (p_interaction < 0.001). A positive association was found with prostate cancer (OR = 2.02, 95%CI = 1.58-2.59) and an inverse association with colorectal cancer (OR = 0.84, 95%CI = 0.70-1.00). In summary, certain comorbidities (e.g., diabetes) may be positively associated with ASD of several cancer types. It needs to be clarified whether closer monitoring for early cancer signs or screening in these patients is reasonable, considering the problem of over-diagnosis particularly relevant in patients with short remaining life expectancy such as those with comorbidities. Also, evaluation of the cost-benefit relationship of cancer screening according to the type and severity of comorbidity (rather than summary scores) may be beneficial for personalized cancer screening in populations with chronic diseases.

Effectiveness of Psycho-Education Intervention Programme on Coping Strategies Among Jordanian Women Diagnosed with Breast Cancer: A Randomised Controlled Trial

Objective

This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a psycho-education intervention programme in improving the coping strategies of Jordanian breast cancer patients.

Methods

A double-blinded randomised control trial involving 200 participants between the ages of 20 to 65 years old breast cancer patients was performed. Apart from those who refused participation, patients with chronic diseases and extreme baseline depression scores were also excluded. The control group received standard care twice a week from the social welfare services team facilitator compared to the intervention group that received additional psycho-education intervention programme (PEIP). The coping strategies were measured using the Brief-COPE inventory consisting of 28 items. It was administered on the second and 12th week of trial. The primary end point was compared between pre- and post-intervention. The effect of the intervention between groups, time, and covariates was measured using the generalised linear mixed model (GLMM) analysis.

Results

The mean (SD) of adaptive coping score among the intervention group increased from 5.63 (1.3) at baseline to 6.42 (1.3) at post-intervention. The mean avoidant coping score was 3.87 (1.1) at baseline but reduced to 3.69 (0.8) post-intervention. GLMM showed that women who received the intervention reported significantly higher usage of the adaptive coping strategies after attending the programme (B=0.921, p <0.001).

Conclusion

PEIP significantly improved knowledge of breast cancer patients. Thus, this programme may be considered as a part of the healthcare services in Jordan towards improving the adaptive coping strategies among breast cancer patients, which may point towards the potential for these services to increase adaptive coping strategies among patients in Jordan.

Implications for Public Health

PEIP may be considered as psychosocial intervention in public health and healthcare setting to address rising concerns on quality of care among breast cancer patients.

Power and Promise of Next-Generation Sequencing in Liquid Biopsies and Cancer Control

Traditional methods of cancer treatment are usually based on the morphological and histological diagnosis of tumors, and they are not optimized according to the specific situation. Precision medicine adjusts the existing treatment regimen based on the patient’s genomic information to make it most suitable for patients. Detection of genetic mutations in tumors is the basis of precise cancer medicine. Through the analysis of genetic mutations in patients with cancer, we can tailor the treatment plan for each patient with cancer to maximize the curative effect, minimize damage to healthy tissues, and optimize resources. In recent years, next-generation sequencing technology has developed rapidly and has become the core technology of precise targeted therapy and immunotherapy for cancer. From early cancer screening to treatment guidance for patients with advanced cancer, liquid biopsy is increasingly used in cancer management. This is as a result of the development of better noninvasive, repeatable, sensitive, and accurate tools used in early screening, diagnosis, evaluation, and monitoring of patients. Cell-free DNA, which is a new noninvasive molecular pathological detection method, often carries tumor-specific gene changes. It plays an important role in optimizing treatment and evaluating the efficacy of different treatment options in clinical trials, and it has broad clinical applications.

A systematic review of decision aids for mammography screening: Focus on outcomes and characteristics

PURPOSE

Decision Aid systems (DAs) provide information on the pros and cons of mammography. This study aimed to review the research on mammography DAs, synthesize the findings related to their outcomes and characteristics, and address the existed research gap.

METHODS

Relevant studies were identified through a comprehensive search on some e-databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and Web of Science in August 2020; by searching the keywords of "Breast cancer", "Screening", and "Decision aid systems" as well as their synonyms in the titles and abstracts of the papers with no time limits. Among the selected English journal papers with the interventional study design, those measuring outcome values of using mammography DAs were recognized as eligible for being included in this review.

RESULTS

The systematic search results in 16 DAs regarding mammography that were designed and then evaluated from 18 selected studies. The results showed that DAs provide improvements in knowledge and informed choice, the decreased decisional conflicts and decisional confidence, almost without changing any attitude towards mammography, mammography participation rates, psychological issues, anticipated regret, and perceived risk of breast cancer. The DAs' effects on women's inclination to screening were divergent. In other words, the DAs affect individuals' inclination in rare cases; however, on occasion, they could affect women's decision to undergo screening.

CONCLUSION

DAs could correct the bias attached to the existing knowledge on mammography and breast cancer in women so that they are more likely to make a precise decision. Additionally, it might be of central importance in shared decision-making and assisting health providers, in order to promote the quality of care. Accordingly, performing more studies is needed to develop more professional DAs in various countries with different facilities, cultures, and languages.

Breast cancer screening program in Lithuania: trends in breast cancer mortality before and during the introduction of the mammography screening programme

Abstract. Background.

Breast cancer is the most frequent oncological disease as well as the leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide. Decline in mortality in economically strong countries is observed. This decline is mostly related to early diagnosis (an improvement in breast cancer awareness and the mammography screening program (MSP)) and a more effective treatment. In the end of 2005, MSP started in Lithuania. The main aim of this article is to evaluate the breast cancer mortality during 22 years in Lithuania, as well as changes before the start of the MSP and during its implementation, in order to assess the influence of the MSP on mortality.

Materials and methods.

Analysis is based on data from the population-based Lithuanian Cancer Registry. Analysis of changes in mortality includes the period from 1998 to 2019. Age standardized mortality rates are calculated for assessment of changes. Joinpoint regression analysis is used.

Results.

Applying the segmental regression model, it was found that during the study period mortality was statistically significantly decreasing by -1.1% each year. Mortality among women under the age of 50 decreased both before and during the implementation of MSP. Mortality in the target population also was already decreasing until the implementation of the program, but a significant reduction in mortality was observed in this group since 2006.

Conclusions.

Overall breast cancer mortality is decreasing in Lithuania. After the implementation of MSP the largest reduction in mortality was observed in the target population, however, it is not as pronounced as it could be with the well-organized MSP.

Worldwide trends in breast cancer incidence from 1993 to 2012: Age-period-cohort analysis and joinpoint regression

Background:

Breast cancer is the most common cancer accounting for about one-fourth of total cancer cases and 15% of all cancer deaths among women worldwide. It is important to determine its trend across the regions in the world to find the high-focus regions. Hence, the current study was done to assess the global trends and deviations in the incidence of breast cancer.

Materials and Methods:

A descriptive trend analysis was done using the data on breast cancer incidence from the WHO Cancer Incidence Data of Five Continents plus database. Joinpoint regression was performed to determine the average annual percent change (AAPC), and age-period-cohort analysis was done to obtain age-, period-, and cohort-specific deviations and rate ratio.

Results:

All the regions showed an increasing trend in breast cancer incidence, with an exception of America. Maximum increase was observed in Asia (AAPC = 2.6%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.4%–2.9%) followed by Europe (AAPC = 0.7%; 95% CI: 0.5%–1%). There was consistent rise in the breast cancer incidence across the age groups in all the four continents with maximum burden in elderly (P < 0.001). Except in America, all other regions showed consistent rise in the incidence of breast cancer through the periods 1998–2002 to 2007–2012 (P < 0.001). There was consistent increase across the cohorts from 1923–1927 to 1978–1982 in continents such as Asia and Oceania (P < 0.001).

Conclusion:

To summarize, the incidence of breast cancer shows an increasing trend globally with a maximum increase in the Asian region. This makes a strong need for newer strategies irrespective of current prevention and control interventions.

Radiation and/or endocrine therapy? Recurrence and survival outcomes in women over 70 with early breast cancer after breast-conserving surgery

PURPOSE

Women over 70 with early breast cancer treated with breast-conserving surgery are typically offered adjuvant endocrine and radiation therapy. Prior studies have supported the omission of adjuvant radiation in this low-risk population. We sought to compare the effect of adjuvant treatment with endocrine therapy alone, radiation therapy alone or both versus no adjuvant treatment on local control and survival in this population.

METHODS

Data were extracted on 1363 breast cancer patients over the age of 70 treated with a breast-conserving surgery from 2003 until 2018. 460 patients met inclusion criteria of pT1N0, invasive disease with negative margins and not treated with chemotherapy. The primary outcome of this population-based study was local recurrence-free survival at 5 and 10 years.

RESULTS

Patients receiving no adjuvant therapy had worse local recurrence-free, loco-regional recurrence-free and disease-free survival than patients receiving at least one form of adjuvant therapy (p < 0.05). 5-year local recurrence rates were 0.8% in patients receiving both endocrine and radiation therapy, 1.5% in those receiving radiation alone, 4.2% in those receiving endocrine therapy alone and 12% in those receiving no adjuvant therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

This study supports the benefit of some form of adjuvant therapy (radiation alone, endocrine therapy alone or both) in low-risk breast cancer patients over 70. Receiving no adjuvant therapy is associated with poorer outcomes. Many of these patients are candidates for Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation which can be completed in less than a week. These patients should be offered radiation therapy, endocrine therapy or both.

Trends of mortality due to breast cancer in Poland, 2000-2016

Background

The aim of the study was to assess trends in mortality and the number of lost years of life due to breast cancer in the female population in the years 2000–2016, with consideration given to differences regarding the level of education and place of residence.

Methods

The analysis was based on a database of the Central Statistical Office of Poland, containing information gathered from 92,154 death certificates of all Polish female inhabitants who died in the period 2000–2016 due to breast cancer. The SEYLL_p (Standard Expected Years of Life Lost per living person), the SEYLL_d (per deaths), the APC (Annual Percentage Change), the AAPC (Average Annual Percentage Change) were calculated to determine years of life lost.

Results

The mean age of women who died from breast cancer increased in the study period from 64.7 years to 69.7. The SEYLL_p index (per 100,000) increased to 776.8 years in 2016 (AAPC = 0.5%). The most unfavorable changes were observed in the group of women with secondary education. In 2004, the SEYLL_p values started to grow at a rate of 2.3% and since 2011, they have been higher than amongst women with elementary education. In the years 2000–2016, the authors observed that SEYLL_p was steadily declining (APC = -1.0%) in the group of inhabitants of rural areas, whereas with regards to city dwellers, the SEYLL_p index has been increasing since 2004 (APC = 0.5%), which has resulted in increased disproportions regarding the place of residence.

Conclusions

The results of this study showed that breast cancer is becoming a serious epidemiological problem in Poland. There is the need to intensify activities among women at highest risk group and it should be the starting point for making key decision in combating breast cancer.

Predictors and Trend in Attendance for Breast Cancer Screening in Lithuania, 2006-2014

In Lithuania, a Nationwide Breast Cancer (BC) Screening Program was launched in 2005, offering mammography for women aged 50 to 69 years, every other year. This study aimed to determine the trend in the attendance for mammography screening during 2006–2014 and to identify the factors that are predictive for participation in it. The study sample consisted of 1941 women aged 50–64 years, who participated in five cross-sectional biennial postal surveys of Lithuanian Health Behavior Monitoring, carried out in independent national random samples. The attendance for screening was identified if women reported having had a mammogram within the last two years. The proportion of women attending the screening was continuously increasing from 20.0% in 2006 up to 65.8% in 2014. The attendance for BC screening was associated with the participation in cervical cancer screening. A higher level of education, living in a city, frequent contact with a doctor, and healthy behaviors (fresh-vegetable consumption, physical activity, and absence of alcohol abuse) were associated with higher participation rates in BC screening. To increase BC screening uptake and to reduce inequalities in attendance, new strategies of organized BC screening program using systematic personal invitations are required in Lithuania.

Assessing trends of breast cancer and carcinoma in situ to monitor screening policies in developing settings

There have been arguments about the role of breast cancer screening at the population level, and some points of controversy have arisen, such the establishment of organized screening policies and the age at which to begin screening. The real benefit of screening has been questioned because the results of this practice may increase the diagnosis of indolent lesions without decreasing mortality due to breast cancer. The authors have proposed a study of incidence and mortality trends for breast cancer in a developing setting in Brazil to monitor the effectiveness of the official recommendations that prioritize the age group from 50 to 69 years. The database of the Cancer Registry and the Mortality Information System was used to calculate age-standardized and age-specific rates, which were then used to calculate incidence and mortality trends using the Joinpoint Regression Program. The results showed stability in trends across all ages and age-specific groups in both incidence and mortality. In conclusion, we found that incidence and mortality rates are compatible with those in regions with similar human development indexes, and trends have demonstrated stabilization. Thus, we do not endorse changes in the official recommendations to conduct screening for ages other than 50 to 69 years, nor should policy makers implement organized screening strategies.