Quality assessment of prostate cancer reports to the Danish Cancer Registry

The role of modifiable risk factors in incident cancer in transport, rescue, and security industries

PURPOSE

Examine the risk for site-specific incident cancer across representative transport, rescue, and security industries.

METHODS

This Danish nationwide register-based study included all 302,789 workers from transport, rescue and security industries in 2001-2015 and 2,230,877 individuals aged 18-64 years from a total sample of the economically active population for comparison. We used Cox models to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) of incident cancers. We categorized site-specific cancers by using population-attributable fraction (PAF) estimates from the previous literature.

RESULTS

During an average follow-up of 13.4 years, 22,116 incident cancer cases were recorded in these industries. Compared with the reference population, the age-adjusted cancer incidence with a high PAF was higher among men in seafaring (HR 1.28; 95% CI 1.14-1.43), and land transport (HR 1.32; 95% CI: 1.26-1.37), and among women in seafaring (HR 1.26; 95% CI: 1.01-1.57), land transport (HR 1.21; 95% CI: 1.12-1.32), aviation (HR 1.22; 95% CI: 1.05-1.41), and police force (HR 1.21; 95% CI: 1.04-1.40). Overall, tobacco and physical inactivity were the most significant risk factors of cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

Regardless of considerable disparities in incident cancer attributable to modifiable risk factors across industries, the total incident cancer rate was elevated in all industries in both sexes.

Risk of late health effects after soft-tissue sarcomas in childhood - a population-based cohort study within the Adult Life after Childhood Cancer in Scandinavia research programme

BACKGROUND

In the 1960s only 1/3 of children with soft-tissue sarcomas survived, however with improved treatments survival today has reached 70%. Given the previous poor survival and the rarity of soft-tissue sarcomas, the risk of somatic late effects in a large cohort of Nordic soft-tissue sarcoma survivors has not yet been assessed.

METHODS

In this population-based cohort study we identified 985 five-year soft-tissue sarcoma survivors in Nordic nationwide cancer registries and late effects in national hospital registries covering the period 1964-2012. Information on tumour site and radiotherapy was available for Danish and Finnish survivors (N = 531). Using disease-specific rates of first-time hospital contacts for somatic diseases in survivors and in 4,830 matched comparisons we calculated relative rates (RR) and rate differences (RD).

RESULTS

Survivors had a RR of 1.5 (95% CI 1.4-1.7) and an absolute RD of 23.5 (17.7-29.2) for a first hospital contact per 1,000 person-years. The highest risks in both relative and absolute terms were of endocrine disorders (RR = 2.5; RD = 7.6), and diseases of the nervous system (RR = 1.9; RD = 6.6), digestive organs (RR = 1.7; RD = 5.4) and urinary system (RR = 1.7; RD = 5.6). By tumour site, excess risk was lower after extremity tumours. Irradiated survivors had a 2.6 (1.2-5.9) times higher risk than non-irradiated.

CONCLUSIONS

Soft-tissue sarcoma survivors have an increased risk of somatic late effects in 5 out of 10 main diagnostic groups of diseases, and the risk remains increased up to 40 years after cancer diagnosis. Risks were slightly lower for those treated for tumours in the extremities, and radiotherapy increased the risk by more than two-fold.

Stage-specific mortality and survival trends of prostate cancer patients in Finland before and after introduction of PSA

BACKGROUND

The early diagnosis and right treatment strategy of localized prostate cancer (PCa) remains problematic. In order to characterize the survival of PCa patients, we compared patients' all-cause and cancer-specific mortalities between pre- and post-PSA periods by stage in Finland.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

All PCa cases diagnosed in Finland between 1985 and 2013 (N = 91,329) were identified from the Finnish Cancer Registry (FCR). PCa stage at diagnosis was defined as localized, local node positive or metastasized. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs), and relative and cause-specific survival were assessed by stage and introduction of PSA testing. The main limitation was the high proportion of men with unknown stage (28%).

RESULTS

A clear decreasing trend in the SMR of PCa patients was evident when pre- and post-PSA eras were compared: for localized PCa, the SMR was 1.43 (95%CI 1.38-1.48) in 1985-1989 and 0.98 (95%CI 0.95-1.01) in 2000-2004, and for metastasized PCa, the SMRs were 4.51 (95%CI 4.30-4.72) and 3.01 (95%CI 2.89-3.12), respectively. Difference between cause-specific and relative survival was pronounced in localized PCa in post-PSA period: 10-year relative survival was 94.6% (95%CI 91.4-97.8) and cause-specific 84.2% (95%CI 82.9-85.5%). In metastasized PCa the difference was not that significant.

CONCLUSIONS

From 1985 to 2009, the SMR among men diagnosed with PCa decreased significantly in Finland. Among men with localized PCa, the SMR decreased even below that of the Finnish male population. This and the increased difference between relative and cause-specific survival reflects most likely selection of men to opportunistic PSA testing. The results highlight the importance of caution in the use of PSA testing in healthy men.

Clinical characteristics and primary management of patients diagnosed with prostate cancer between 2007 and 2013: status from a Danish primary referral center

BACKGROUND

The Danish Cancer Registry holds information on all prostate cancers (PCa) cases, including diagnostic TNM. However, stratification according to contemporary risk classification is not possible because histopathological grading and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level are not registered. The objective of the study was to report clinical characteristics and primary management of men diagnosed with PCa from a primary referral center in Denmark.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Records on all men diagnosed with PCa at the Department of Urology, Frederiksberg Hospital, 1 January 2007 - 31 December 2013, were reviewed. Clinical characteristics and primary treatment were recorded. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network risk group classification was used.

RESULTS

A total of 1934 men with a median age of 69 years (interquartile range 65-75) were diagnosed with PCa in the study period resulting in an incidence rate (World Standard Population) of 84/100 000. Overall, 18% were classified as low-risk, 34% as intermediate-risk, 23% as high-risk, 8% as very high-risk and 17% had metastatic disease at diagnosis. Among men age <65 years 70% had low- or intermediate-risk disease, while this was the case for 58% of men aged 65-75 and 22% of men aged >75. Metastatic disease was found in 11% of men <65 years, 17% of men 65-75 years and 23% of men >75 years. In total 73% of men with low-risk PCa were managed on watchful waiting or active surveillance. Curatively intended treatment was performed in 56% of men with intermediate-risk and 61% of men with high-risk PCa, while hormonal therapy was used in 90% of men with very high-risk and 98% of men with metastatic PCa.

CONCLUSION

In a population without systematic PSA testing we found a large proportion of patients presenting with advanced PCa at diagnosis. Elderly patients presented with more advanced disease. Curative treatment was primarily used in younger men with clinically localized PCa.

Danish Prostate Cancer Registry - methodology and early results from a novel national database

Background

Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine (SNOMED) codes are computer-processable medical terms used to describe histopathological evaluations. SNOMED codes are not readily usable for analysis. We invented an algorithm that converts prostate SNOMED codes into an analyzable format. We present the methodology and early results from a new national Danish prostate database containing clinical data from all males who had evaluation of prostate tissue from 1995 to 2011.

Materials and methods

SNOMED codes were retrieved from the Danish Pathology Register. A total of 26,295 combinations of SNOMED codes were identified. A computer algorithm was developed to transcode SNOMED codes into an analyzable format including procedure (eg, biopsy, transurethral resection, etc), diagnosis, and date of diagnosis. For validation, ~55,000 pathological reports were manually reviewed. Prostate-specific antigen, vital status, causes of death, and tumor-node-metastasis classification were integrated from national registries.

Results

Of the 161,525 specimens from 113,801 males identified, 83,379 (51.6%) were sets of prostate biopsies, 56,118 (34.7%) were transurethral/transvesical resections of the prostate (TUR-Ps), and the remaining 22,028 (13.6%) specimens were derived from radical prostatectomies, bladder interventions, etc. A total of 48,078 (42.2%) males had histopathologically verified prostate cancer, and of these, 78.8% and 16.8% were diagnosed on prostate biopsies and TUR-Ps, respectively.

Future perspectives

A validated algorithm was successfully developed to convert complex prostate SNOMED codes into clinical useful data. A unique database, including males with both normal and cancerous histopathological data, was created to form the most comprehensive national prostate database to date. Potentially, our algorithm can be used for conversion of other SNOMED data and is available upon request.