A Population-based Study on Incidence, Treatment and Survival in Ampullary Cancer in the Netherlands

Abstract

Purpose: Ampullary cancer is rare and as result the epidemiological data are scarce. The aim of this population-based study was to determine the trends in incidence, treatment and overall survival (OS) in patients with ampullary adenocarcinoma in the Netherlands between 1989 and 2016. Methods: Patients diagnosed with ampullary adenocarcinoma were identified from the Netherlands Cancer Registry. Incidence rates were age-adjusted to the European standard population. Trends in treatment and OS were studied over 7 years period of diagnosis, using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses for OS and stratified by the presence of metastatic disease. Results: In total, 3840 patients with ampullary adenocarcinoma were diagnosed of whom, 55.0% were male and 87.1% had non-metastatic disease. The incidence increased from 0.59 per 100,000 in 1989-1995 to 0.68 per 100,000in 2010-2016. In non-metastatic disease, the resection rate increased from 49.5% in 1989-1995 to 63.9% in 2010-2016 (p<0.001). The rate of adjuvant therapy increased from 3.1% to 7.9%. In non-metastatic disease, five-year OS (95% CI) increased from 19.8% (16.9-22.8) in 1989-1995 to 29.1% (26.0-31.2) in 2010-2016 (logrank p<0.001). In patients with metastatic disease, median OS did improve, but not significantly (from 4.4 months (3.6-5.0) to 5.9 months (4.7-7.1); logrank p=0.06). Cancer treatment was an independent prognostic factor for OS among all patients. Conclusion: Both incidence and OS of ampullary cancer increased from 1989 to 2016, which is likely related to the observed increased resection rates and use of adjuvant therapy as well as better diagnostics and centralization of pancreatic surgeries.