Cancer Survival

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 8284

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
1. Charles University Medical School in Pilsen, Pilsen, Czech Republic
2. Division of Molecular Genetic Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
Interests: germline genetics; genetic predisposition; familial cancer; hereditary cancer; genome-wide association study; germline sequencing
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Guest Editor
Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Victoria Park Road, Kelvin Grove, QLD 4059, Australia
Interests: cancer epidemiology; disease mapping; Bayesian statistics; spatio-temporal analysis; health equity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Finnish Cancer Registry, Unioninkatu 22, 00130 Helsinki, Finland
Interests: statistical methods to assess survival of cancer patients and prognostic factors of survival

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Guest Editor
1. Department of Cancer Prevention, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, China
2. Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer (IBMC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Hangzhou, China
Interests: cancer epidemiology; clinical epidemiology; molecular epidemiology; hereditary cancer; second (multiple) primary cancers; population screening; long-term survival of cancer patients; period analysis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Special Issue will include both original papers and reviews that focus on cancer survival. The articles are judged in terms of novelty and interest to a wide readership. The focus may be on any of the parameters that influence survival, including medical aspects, such as treatment or comorbidities, demographic, geographic or socio-economic variables, and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. International comparisons with representative data and studies from novel epidemiological areas or registers will be of interest.

For acceptance, the papers need to be of high technical quality with appropriate adjustments and must focus on patient populations with minimal loss to follow-up. The authors must follow the following instructions: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/cancers/instructions.

Prof. Dr. Kari Hemminki
Dr. Susanna Cramb
Dr. Karri J.M. Seppä
Prof. Dr. Tianhui (Thomas) Chen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

 

Keywords

  • relative survival
  • net survival
  • cancer treatment
  • COVID
  • socioeconomic factors
  • comorbidities

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 943 KiB  
Article
Changes in the Epidemiology of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Carinthia, Austria, 2012–2023
by Florian Hucke, Heleen Emmer, Roberto Emmer, Miriam Hucke, Simona Bota, Matthias Fürstner, Klaus Hausegger, Reinhard Mittermair and Markus Peck-Radosavljevic
Cancers 2023, 15(21), 5215; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers15215215 - 30 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1535
Abstract
Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths and remains a major burden on healthcare systems worldwide. The incidence of HCC continues to rise globally, despite preventative efforts being made. Aims: This study aimed to investigate epidemiological changes [...] Read more.
Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths and remains a major burden on healthcare systems worldwide. The incidence of HCC continues to rise globally, despite preventative efforts being made. Aims: This study aimed to investigate epidemiological changes observed in the etiology and survival outcomes of HCC patients at Klinikum Klagenfurt am Wörthersee between 2012 and 2023. Methods: This was a retrospective, single-center cohort study. Two time-periods (2012–2017 and 2018–2023) were created to enable comparison between the respective intervals. IBM SPSS was used to analyze statistical data. Results: More patients were diagnosed with HCC during the second time period (n = 128, n = 148). The median age of diagnosis was 72.5 years (SD 8.6). Patients were on average 2 years younger in the second time period compared to the first (p = 0.042). Alcohol remained the leading underlying etiology of HCC and no statistically significant change was seen over time (p = 0.353). Nevertheless, a clear upward trend in the number of NASH cases was evident over time (n = 15, n = 28, respectively). Nearly half of the patient population had a normal AFP (<7 µg/L) level at the time of diagnosis (n = 116, 42.6%). The survival time for HCC patients remained similar between time periods, with a median overall survival time of 20.5 months (95% CI 16.8–24.2, p = 0.841), despite improvements in management strategies and the availability of new systemic treatments. More advanced-stage HCC cases were documented in the second period (BCLC-C, n = 23 to n = 46, p = 0.051). An increased number of HCC patients without liver cirrhosis were identified during the second time period (n = 22, n= 47, respectively, p = 0.005). NASH was the most common underlying etiology in patients without liver cirrhosis (50%) compared to alcohol use in being the primary cause in cirrhotic patients (65%, p < 0.001). Conclusion: HCC continues to be an important health concern in our society. The number of HCC patients without liver cirrhosis is steadily increasing, with NAFLD/NASH, due to underlying lifestyle diseases playing an important etiological role. Continued efforts should be made to prevent HCC and to screen at-risk population groups. Preventative strategies and screening techniques should be adjusted in light of the changing epidemiological landscape of HCC, where more focus will have to be placed on detecting HCC in patients without underlying cirrhosis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cancer Survival)
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14 pages, 575 KiB  
Article
The Association between Mediated Deprivation and Ovarian Cancer Survival among African American Women
by Andrew B. Lawson, Joanne Kim, Courtney Johnson, Kendra L. Ratnapradipa, Anthony J. Alberg, Maxwell Akonde, Theresa Hastert, Elisa V. Bandera, Paul Terry, Hannah Mandle, Michele L. Cote, Melissa Bondy, Jeffrey Marks, Lauren C. Peres, Joellen Schildkraut and Edward S. Peters
Cancers 2023, 15(19), 4848; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers15194848 - 04 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1098
Abstract
Background: Deprivation indices are often used to adjust for socio-economic disparities in health studies. Their role has been partially evaluated for certain population-level cancer outcomes, but examination of their role in ovarian cancer is limited. In this study, we evaluated a range of [...] Read more.
Background: Deprivation indices are often used to adjust for socio-economic disparities in health studies. Their role has been partially evaluated for certain population-level cancer outcomes, but examination of their role in ovarian cancer is limited. In this study, we evaluated a range of well-recognized deprivation indices in relation to cancer survival in a cohort of self-identified Black women diagnosed with ovarian cancer. This study aimed to determine if clinical or diagnostic characteristics lie on a mediating pathway between socioeconomic status (SES) and deprivation and ovarian cancer survival in a minority population that experiences worse survival from ovarian cancer. Methods: We used mediation analysis to look at the direct and indirect causal effects of deprivation indices with main mediators of the SEER stage at diagnosis and residual disease. The analysis employed Bayesian structural equation models with variable selection. We applied a joint Bayesian structural model for the mediator, including a Weibull mixed model for the vital outcome with deprivation as exposure. We selected modifiers via a Monte Carlo model selection procedure. Results: The results suggest that high SES-related indices, such as Yost, Kolak urbanicity (URB), mobility (MOB) and SES dimensions, and concentrated disadvantage index (CDI), all have a significant impact on improved survival. In contrast, area deprivation index (ADI)/Singh, and area level poverty (POV) did not have a major impact. In some cases, the indirect effects have very wide credible intervals, so the total effect is not well estimated despite the estimation of the direct effect. Conclusions: First, it is clear that commonly used indices such as Yost, or CDI both significantly impact the survival experience of Black women diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer. In addition, the Kolak dimension indices (URB, MOB, mixed immigrant: MICA and SES) also demonstrate a significant association, depending on the mediator. Mediation effects differ according to the mediator chosen. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cancer Survival)
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13 pages, 1517 KiB  
Article
Changing Practice Patterns and Improving Survival for Patients with Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma
by Patrick W. Underwood, Kelly M. Herremans, Dan Neal, Andrea N. Riner, Ibrahim Nassour, Steven J. Hughes and Jose G. Trevino
Cancers 2023, 15(18), 4464; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers15184464 - 07 Sep 2023
Viewed by 652
Abstract
Over the last two decades, there have been many reported advances in the clinical management of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). We sought to evaluate changes in survival for patients diagnosed with PDAC between 2004 and 2017. The National Cancer Database was queried for [...] Read more.
Over the last two decades, there have been many reported advances in the clinical management of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). We sought to evaluate changes in survival for patients diagnosed with PDAC between 2004 and 2017. The National Cancer Database was queried for patients diagnosed with PDAC between 2004 and 2017. There were 55,401 patients who underwent surgery and 109,477 patients who underwent non-surgical treatment for PDAC between 2004 and 2017. Patients were categorized into four groups by year of diagnosis. Median survival improved from 15.5 months to 25.3 months for patients treated with surgery between the years 2016 and 2017 compared with between 2004 and 2007 (p < 0.001). Median survival improved from 7.2 months to 10.1 months for patients treated without surgery during the same years (p < 0.001). On multivariable analysis, the hazard ratio for death was estimated to multiply by 0.975 per year for patients treated with surgery and 0.959 per year for patients treated without surgery (p < 0.001). This increase in survival in the setting of evolving care validates continued efforts aimed at improving survival for patients with this devastating disease. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cancer Survival)
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12 pages, 814 KiB  
Article
Survival Differences by Comorbidity Burden among Patients with Stage I/II Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer after Thoracoscopic Resection
by Meghann Wheeler, Shama D. Karanth, Hiren J. Mehta, Danting Yang, Livingstone Aduse-Poku, Caretia Washington, Young-Rock Hong, Dongyu Zhang, Michael K. Gould and Dejana Braithwaite
Cancers 2023, 15(7), 2075; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers15072075 - 30 Mar 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1447
Abstract
We sought to compare overall survival (OS) by comorbidity burden among patients with stage I/II non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who received thoracoscopic resection. Utilizing data from the National Cancer Database, we conducted a survival analysis among patients aged 50+ with stage I/II [...] Read more.
We sought to compare overall survival (OS) by comorbidity burden among patients with stage I/II non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who received thoracoscopic resection. Utilizing data from the National Cancer Database, we conducted a survival analysis among patients aged 50+ with stage I/II NSCLC who received thoracoscopic resection between 2010 and 2017. The comorbidity burden was measured by the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI, 0, 1, 2+). Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were used to compare overall survival relative to the CCI (CCI of 0 as the referent). Subgroup analyses were conducted considering sex, age groups, days from diagnosis to surgery, facility type, laterality, and type of surgery. For this study, 61,760 patients were included, with a mean age of 69.1 years (SD: 8.5). Notably, 51.2% had a CCI of 0, 31.8% had a CCI of 1, and 17.0% had a CCI of 2+. Most participants were non-Hispanic White (87.5%), and 56.9% were female. We found that an increase in the CCI was associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality (CCI 1 vs. 0 aHR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.20–1.28; CCI 2+ vs. 0 aHR: 1.51, 95% CI: 1.45–1.57; p-trend < 0.01). Our subgroup analysis according to sex suggested that the association between CCI and risk of death was stronger in women. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cancer Survival)
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11 pages, 1507 KiB  
Article
A Comparison between the Online Prognostic Tool PREDICT and myBeST for Women with Breast Cancer in Malaysia
by Mohd Nasrullah Nik Ab Kadir, Suhaily Mohd Hairon, Imi Sairi Ab Hadi, Siti Norbayah Yusof, Siti Maryam Muhamat and Najib Majdi Yaacob
Cancers 2023, 15(7), 2064; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers15072064 - 30 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1161
Abstract
The PREDICT breast cancer is a well-known online calculator to estimate survival probability. We developed a new prognostic model, myBeST, due to the PREDICT tool’s limitations when applied to our patients. This study aims to compare the performance of the two models for [...] Read more.
The PREDICT breast cancer is a well-known online calculator to estimate survival probability. We developed a new prognostic model, myBeST, due to the PREDICT tool’s limitations when applied to our patients. This study aims to compare the performance of the two models for women with breast cancer in Malaysia. A total of 532 stage I to III patient records who underwent surgical treatment were analysed. They were diagnosed between 2012 and 2016 in seven centres. We obtained baseline predictors and survival outcomes by reviewing patients’ medical records. We compare PREDICT and myBeST tools’ discriminant performance using receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. The five-year observed survival was 80.3% (95% CI: 77.0, 83.7). For this cohort, the median five-year survival probabilities estimated by PREDICT and myBeST were 85.8% and 82.6%, respectively. The area under the ROC curve for five-year survival by myBeST was 0.78 (95% CI: 0.73, 0.82) and for PREDICT was 0.75 (95% CI: 0.70, 0.80). Both tools show good performance, with myBeST marginally outperforms PREDICT discriminant performance. Thus, the new prognostic model is perhaps more suitable for women with breast cancer in Malaysia. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cancer Survival)
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13 pages, 1232 KiB  
Article
Survival in Colon, Rectal and Small Intestinal Cancers in the Nordic Countries through a Half Century
by Filip Tichanek, Asta Försti, Vaclav Liska, Akseli Hemminki and Kari Hemminki
Cancers 2023, 15(3), 991; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers15030991 - 03 Feb 2023
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 1644
Abstract
Background: Survival studies in intestinal cancers have generally shown favorable development, but few studies have been able to pinpoint the timing of the changes in survival over an extended period. Here, we compared the relative survival rates for colon, rectal and small intestinal [...] Read more.
Background: Survival studies in intestinal cancers have generally shown favorable development, but few studies have been able to pinpoint the timing of the changes in survival over an extended period. Here, we compared the relative survival rates for colon, rectal and small intestinal cancers from Denmark (DK), Finland (FI), Norway (NO) and Sweden (SE). Design: Relative 1-, 5- and 5/1-year conditional survival data were obtained from the NORDCAN database for the years 1971–2020. Results: The 50-year survival patterns were country-specific. For colon and rectal cancers, the slopes of survival curves bended upwards for DK, were almost linear for NO and bended downwards for FI and SE; 5-year survival was the highest in DK. Survival in small intestinal cancer was initially below colon and rectal cancers but in FI and NO it caught up toward the end of the follow-up. Conclusions: Relative survival in intestinal cancers has developed well in the Nordic countries, and DK is an example of a country which in 20 years was able to achieve excellent survival rates in colon and rectal cancers. In the other countries, the increase in survival curves for colon and rectal cancer has slowed down, which may be a challenge posed by metastatic cancers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cancer Survival)
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