Abstract
BackgroundThere is a large gap in the data on cancer outcomes in Latin America, making it difficult to establish adequate cancer control policies in the region. The aim of our study was to describe the survival, life expectancy estimates and life expectancy changes over time for a large cohort of Peruvian patients insured with Oncosalud, a private healthcare system.Patients and methodsWe evaluated a retrospective cohort of patients diagnosed between 2000 and 2015 in Oncosalud (Lima-Peru). Cases included colon, rectum, stomach, bladder, breast, prostate and non-melanoma skin cancers. Survival was evaluated with the Kaplan–Meier methodology. The standard period life table was used to estimate the excess mortality risks of patients in our cohort compared to the population covered by the Peruvian Superintendence of Banks, Insurance Companies and Pension Funds (SBS). The years of life lost was estimated based on SBS population, matching patients by age and sex.ResultsA large cohort of 7,687 Peruvian cancer patients managed in a 15-year period was eligible. If patients survive 5 years after a cancer diagnosis, life expectancy tends to be close to that of a population without cancer. The number of years of life lost at diagnosis was higher at the youngest ages, steadily decreasing thereafter. During the first years after cancer diagnosis, young patients face a much higher loss in life expectancy than older ones. Patients suffering from colon, rectum, stomach and bladder cancer are the most affected by the years of life lost.ConclusionIn cancer patients surviving ≥ 5 years, life expectancy becomes similar to that observed in a population with similar socioeconomic characteristics. The estimated survival rate in our cohort is higher than that reported by public cancer registries in Peru. This could be explained by the different socio-economic background and access to specialised cancer care.
Highlights
The number of cases of cancer is growing around the world as well as the number of deaths [1]
A large cohort of 7,687 Peruvian cancer patients managed in a 15-year period was eligible
Patients suffering from colon, rectum, stomach and bladder cancer are the most affected by the years of life lost
Summary
The number of cases of cancer is growing around the world as well as the number of deaths [1]. The outcomes and life expectancy of patients with cancer have been improving during the last decades due to early diagnosis, improvement of surgical techniques in radiotherapy, chemotherapy and the development of better targeted therapy and immunotherapy, increasing the cost of cancer treatment [2]. Several works have evaluated the changes in survival and life expectancy of cancer patients throughout time [4,5,6]. There is a large gap in the data on cancer outcomes in Latin America, making it difficult to establish adequate cancer control policies in the region. The aim of our study was to describe the survival, life expectancy estimates and life expectancy changes over time for a large cohort of Peruvian patients insured with Oncosalud, a private healthcare system
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