• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.1497-1500
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• 2014

Cervical cancer continues to be an important public health problem in Thailand. While the high risk human papillomavirus (HPV) types have been established as the principle causative agent of both malignancies and the precursor lesions, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), other factors may also be involved like other sexually transmitted diseases, as well as smoking. Chlamydia trachomatis is an obligate intracellular Gramnegative bacterium which has a tendency to cause chronic infection featuring inflammation and therefore might be expected to increase the risk of cervical cancer. In the present nested case-control study, 61 cases of cervical cancer and 288 matched controls with original serum samples were identified from the Khon Kaen Cohort, established in the North-East of Thailand, by linkage to the Khon Kaen population based cancer registry. C. trachomatis specific IgG antibodies at recruitment were measured by microimmunofluorescence and assessed for association with cervical cancer using STATA release10. No significant link was noted either with all cancers or after removal of adenocarcinomas. The results suggest no association between Chlamydia infection and cervical cancer development in North-East Thailand, but possible influencing factors must be considered in any future research on this topic.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.20
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• pp.8779-8782
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• 2014

Background: Malignancies of the female reproductive tract are estimated to be the third most common group of cancers in women. Objectives: We here aimed to present their epidemiological features in Golestan province located in Northeast of Iran. Materials and Methods: Data on primary female reproductive cancers diagnosed between 2004-2010 were obtained from Golestan Population-based Cancer Registry (GPCR). CanReg-4 and SPSS software were used for data entry and analysis. Age standardized incidence rates (ASR) (per 100,000 person-years) were calculated using the world standard population. Poisson regression analysis was used to compare incidence rates. P-values of less than 0.05 were considered as significant. Results: A total of 6,064 cancer cases were registered in Golestan females in the GPCR during 2004-2010, of which 652 cases (11%) were female reproductive cancers. Cancers of the ovary (ASR=6.03) and cervix (ASR=4.97) were the most common. We found significant higher rates in females living in cities than in villages. Our results showed a rapid increase in age specific incidence rates of female reproductive cancers at the age of 30 years. Conclusions: We found significant higher rates of female reproductive cancers among residents of cities than villages. Differences in the prevalence of risk factors including reproductive behavior between the two populations may partly explain such diversity. Our results also showed a rapid increase in incidence rates of these cancers in young age females. Further studies are warranted to determine risk factors of female reproductive cancers in our population.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.3893-3898
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• 2012

In previous studies we predicted future trends in cancer incidence for each prefecture in order to plan cancer control. Those predictions, however, did not take into account the characteristics of each prefecture. We therefore used the results of age-period-cohort analysis of incidence and mortality data of Osaka, and estimated the incidence and mortality of cancers at all sites and selected sites. The results reflect the characteristics of Osaka, which has and is expected to have large number of patients with liver cancer. We believe our results to be useful for planning and evaluating cancer control activities in Osaka. It would be worthwhile to base the estimation of cancer incidence and mortality in each prefecture on each population-based cancer registry.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.673-677
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• 2013

Introduction: Capture-recapture methods have been suggested for reducing costs of disease registration as well as reducing bias in incidence estimations. This study aimed to estimate the gastric cancer incidence in the Tehran metropolis population during 2002-2006. Materials and Methods: We investigated new cases of gastric cancer reported by three sources; death certificates, pathology reports, and medical records to Tehran population-based cancer registry during 2002-2006. $G^2$ statistics and the two-source capture-recapture method were used to select the best-fitted log-linear model and to estimate incidence, respectively. EXCEL software version 2007 and SPSS software version 16 were used for this research. Results: The number of reported cases was 4,463, with an average age of 68.5 (${\pm}12.9$) years. We found the model that combined two sources of data including pathology reports and medical records and furthermore complemented by death certificates as the best model. The reported and the estimated incidences were 11.0 and 27.1 per 100,000 respectively. Conclusions: The incidence estimated by two-source capture-recapture method is about three times higher than the incidence reported by the sources under investigation. It is recommended to move towards the implementation of population-based cancer registration using various sources of data collection to achieve more accurate data.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.693-698
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• 2012

Breast cancer is the most frequent cancer of women worldwide, with considerable geographic and racial/ethnic variation. Data are generally derived from population based cancer registries in the developed countries but hospital data are the most reliable source in the developing countries. Ten years data from 1st Jan 2000 to 31st Dec 2009 of a cancer hospital in Pakistan were here analyzed by descriptive statistics to evaluate the clinicopathologic profile of local breast cancer patients. Among 28,740 cancer patients, 6,718 were registered as breast cancer. The female to male ratio was 100:2. Breast cancer accounted for 23% of all and 41% of female cancers. Some 46% were residents of Lahore, with a mean age of $47{\pm}12$ years. Less than 1% were at Stage 0 and 10%, 32%, 35% and 23% were at Stage I, II, III and IV respectively. Histopathology was unknown in 4% while 91%, 2% and 1% had invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) and mucinous carcinoma respectively. Rare carcinomas accounted for the rest. Tumor grade 1, 2 and 3 was 11%, 55% and 34% among the known. Profile of breast cancer patients in Pakistan follows a pattern similar to that of other developing countries with earlier peak age and advanced disease stage at presentation. The male breast cancer accounts for higher proportion in the local population. Local women have higher frequency of IDC and lower frequency of ILC and DCIS, owing probably to a different risk profile. Use of hospital information systems and establishment of population based cancer registry is required to have accurate and detailed local data. Promotion of breast health awareness and better health care system is required to decrease the burden of advanced disease.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.12
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• pp.6277-6283
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• 2012

Background: Northern Iran counts as one of the highest prevalence regions for esophageal cancer (EC) worldwide. This study was designed to assess the epidemiologic aspects of EC in north central and northwest Iran over a 10 year period. Materials and Methods: The Guilan cancer registry study (GCRS) is a population-based cancer registry study featuring retrospective (1996-2003) and prospective (2004-2005) phases. A detailed questionnaire based on WHO standards for cancer registratration was applied to gather the required information. Two trained physicians coded information using ICD-O-3 in close coordination with an expert pathologist. Results: A total of 19,936 cases of malignancy (mean age $55.4{\pm}18.0$ years, range: 1-98 years) were registered, including 1,147 cases (670 males, 447 female; mean age: $64.0{\pm}11.5$ years) of EC. In 1996 the male/female ratio among patients with EC was 1.25 which increased to 1.53 in 2005. The lower third of the esophagus still remained the most common site of tumors. The average age-standardized rate (ASR) was 6.9 and 4.1 per $10^5$ men and women, respectively. In 1996, the ASRs were 7.2 and 5.2 per $10^5$ men and women which decreased to 6.9 and 4.1 per $10^5$ in 2004-2005. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) was the most prevalent histological subtype of EC accounting over 80% of cases. Conclusions: However the prevalence of adenocarcinoma (ADC) showed an increase to 18.4%. Guilan province may be considered a relatively low incidence region for EC.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.9
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• pp.5435-5440
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• 2013

Background: Recent estimates suggest that in the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) the burden of cancer in terms of DALYs lost is amongst the highest in South East Asia. As such, increasingly cancer is becoming an important public health concern in the country. Lao PDR however has no population-based cancer registry and only one hospital-based registry. Cancer treatment within the country is extremely limited. Patients who can, may travel to neighboring countries for treatment, but little information about this is available in the country. The aim of this study was to estimate some of the otherwise largely unknown parameters of the cancer burden in Lao PDR. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective, descriptive study based on the records of 847 Lao cancer cases treated with surgery, radiation and chemotherapy at Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen University, in Thailand between 1988 and 2010. Results: The annual rate of registration of Lao cancer cases fluctuated, but showed an increasing trend. Most cancers were diagnosed by histology (65.2%), and a combination of endoscopy and radiology (15.6%). In most cases (70.2%) the stage of cancer at diagnosis could not be determined. In those whose stage could be identified, 54.0% were at the final stage (Stage IV). Among males, the commonest cancer sites were the liver (16.1%), blood (12.3%) and nasopharynx (10.6%). Those in female patients were the cervix (22.2%), breast (14.6%) and blood (8.1%). Conclusions: This study indicates that despite some fluctuations, the number of Lao cancer patients presenting at Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen, gradually increased between 1988 and 2010. The unfavorable pattern of late-stage cancer diagnosis among male and female patients suggests a need for cancer control interventions and the establishment of cancer registration and treatment facilities within Lao PDR.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.8
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• pp.4591-4594
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• 2013

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Malaysian women. Other than hospital-based results, there are no documented population-based survival rates of Malaysian women for breast cancers. This populationbased retrospective cohort study was therefore conducted. Data were obtained from Health Informatics Centre, Ministry of Health Malaysia, National Cancer Registry and National Registration Department for the period from $1^{st}$ January 2000 to $31^{st}$ December 2005. Cases were captured by ICD-10 and linked to death certificates to identify the status. Only complete data were analysed. Survival time was calculated from the estimated date of diagnosis to the date of death or date of loss to follow-up. Observed survival rates were estimated by Kaplan-Meier method using SPSS Statistical Software version 17. A total of 10,230 complete data sets were analysed. The mean age at diagnosis was 50.6 years old. The overall 5-year survival rate was 49% with median survival time of 68.1 months. Indian women had a higher survival rate of 54% compared to Chinese women (49%) and Malays (45%). The overall 5-year survival rate of breast cancer patient among Malaysian women was still low for the cohort of 2000 to 2005 as compared to survival rates in developed nations. Therefore, it is necessary to enhance the strategies for early detection and intervention.

• Annals of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.211-219
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• 2022

Backgrounds/Aims: Historically, incidence and survival analysis and annual traits for primary liver cancer (LC) has not been investigated in a population-based study in Korea. The purpose of the current study is to determine incidence, survival rate of patients with primary LC in Korea. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using Korea Central Cancer Registry based on the Korea National Cancer Incidence Database. Statistical analysis including crude rate and age-standadized rate (ASR) of incidence and mortality was performed for LC patients registered with C22 code in International Classification of Diseases, tenth revision from 1999 to 2019. Subgroup analysis was performed for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, C22.0) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (IHCC, C22.1). Results: The crude incidence rate of HCC (21.0 to 22.8 per 100,000) and IHCC (2.3 to 5.6 per 100,000) increased in the observed period from 1999 to 2019. The ASR decreased in HCC (20.7 to 11.9 per 100,000) but remained unchanged in IHCC (2.4 to 2.7 per 100,000). The proportion of HCC patients diagnosed in early stages (localized or regional Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results or SEER stage) increased significantly over time. As expected, 5-yeat survival rate of HCC was greatly improved, reaching 42.4% in the period between 2013 and 2019. This trait was more prominent in localized SEER stage. On the other hand, the proportion of IHCC patients diagnosed in localized stage remained unchanged (22.9% between 2013 and 2019), although ASR and 5-year survival rate showed minor improvements. Conclusions: A great improvement in survival rate was observed in patients with newly diagnosed HCCs. It was estimated to be due to an increase in early detection rate. On the contrary, detection rate of an early IHCC was stagnant with a minor improvement in prognosis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.2125-2129
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• 2016

Background: Stomach cancer is an aggressive malignancy that is difficult to detect at an early stage and therefore is characterized by poor survival rates. Over the last two decades, there has been no report of gastric cancer survival in Khon Kaen province, Thailand. The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to provide up-to-date information about the survival of gastric cancer patients in this province. Materials and Methods: Data from Khon Kaen population-based cancer registry, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University were newly obtained on 650 patients who were diagnosed with stomach cancer during the period 1 January, 2000 to 31 December, 2012. These were then followed up until death or the end of the study (31 December 2014). We calculated the observed survival with the actuarial life table method, and relative survival, defined as the ratio of observed survival in the group of the stomach cancer patients to the expected survival in the entire Thai population from the estimated generation life tables for Thailand of five-year birth cohorts from 1900 - 2000. Results: The 5 year observed and 5 year relative survival rates were 17.2 % (95% CI: 13.54-21.14) and 18.2 % (95% CI: 14.3-22.4), respectively. The highest 5 year relative survival rates were demonstrated among patients aged 45-65, with stage I or II lesions, with adenocarcinomas, with a body of stomach location, well differentiated and receiving surgery and/or chemotherapy. Conclusions: The observed and relative survival rates were close to each other. Our findings provide basic information beneficial to development of an effective treatment system and appropriately improved population-based cancer registration.