Surveillance, Epidemiology, And End Results Registry Data Research Articles

Comparison of diversity across real-world evidence, randomized clinical trial, and Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) data in patients with metastatic breast cancer.

e18670 Background: Compared with patients in typical care settings, participants in randomized clinical trials (RCTs) tend to be younger and less diverse. We compared representation of age, race, and ethnicity at initiation of first-line (1L) therapy for metastatic breast cancer across real-world evidence (RWE), RCT, and Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry data. Methods: RWE and SEER inclusion criteria were based on corresponding RCTs. We compared age, race, and ethnicity at initiation of 1L therapy among female patients with metastatic breast cancer across 2 RWE chart review studies (completed between 2019-2021), 4 RCTs with similar eligibility (reported between 2014–2021), and the latest SEER registry data (2017–2019) using t-tests and 2-sided chi-square tests. Results: We collected demographics of 57,479 patients (RWE: n = 860, 1.5%; RCT: n = 2,707, 4.7%; SEER: n = 53,912, 93.8%). Mean age at 1L therapy initiation was significantly higher in RWE than RCT studies (61.8 vs 56.0 years) and representation of Black patients was significantly higher in RWE than RCT studies (25.3% vs 2.9%), both P< .001. Mean age at metastatic diagnosis in SEER was 59.0 years; age at 1L initiation was not reported. SEER included 13.4% Non-Hispanic Black patients. Hispanic representation was 11.2% in RWE, not reported in RCT, and 15.9% in SEER studies (Table). Conclusions: Decisions about treatment choices among clinicians and payers are primarily driven by RCT results, yet they may not be representative of real-world populations. We found that RCTs had lower representation of older and Black patients than both SEER and RWE studies. Limitations included varying study periods, lack of Hispanic ethnicity reporting in RCTs, differential SEER participation by US region, and potential patient overlap. Well-conducted RWE studies may fill gaps left by RCTs for improving representation and generalizability to patients with metastatic breast cancer. [Table: see text]

Abstract P6-07-01: Costs of breast cancer recurrence after initial treatment for high risk early breast cancer using SEER-Medicare linked data

Abstract Background: Despite the good prognosis with treatment for most patients with hormone receptor positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (HER2-) early breast cancer (EBC), ~ 20–30% of patients experience locoregional or distant disease recurrence. To assist in value assessments of novel therapies in the adjuvant setting, this study aimed to determine the costs of treated breast cancer recurrence following treated EBC. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed linked patient data from the US Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) registry (2010-2014) and Medicare claims (2009 to 2019, which included data from Part A, B, and Prescription Drug Events [Part D]). Data were analyzed for patients aged ≥65 years with HR+, HER2-, node-positive EBC at high risk of recurrence (consistent with monarchE trial high risk criteria). Treated recurrences were defined based on treatment events/procedure codes, including surgery, radiation and systemic therapy, after a 90-day gap following the last treatment for initial EBC. Recurrences were classified based on Medicare claim diagnosis codes or SEER registry data. Extra cost was defined as cost attributable to treated recurrence. Cumulative extra costs were estimated by calculating cost differences between patients with treated vs non/untreated recurrence. Cumulative extra costs were analyzed over the first 6 years following first treated recurrence, a duration which ensured adequate sample size. Costs were inflated to 2021-US$. Results: We identified 3081 eligible patients (mean age at diagnosis 74.5±7.1 years, 97.4% female, 87.8% White). We identified 964 patients with treated recurrence (distant=432, locoregional=128, contralateral=9, unclassified=347) and 2117 patients with non/untreated recurrence. Six-year cumulative extra costs were higher for patients with distant recurrences ($168,656) than for patients with locoregional recurrences ($96,465) (Table 1). Conclusions: Cost of recurrence in patients with high risk EBC is considerable, particularly in patients with distant recurrences. Most patients who recurred in this population experienced distant recurrence. Delaying or preventing recurrence may reduce long term costs in these high risk EBC patients. Table 1. Mean cumulative extra costs attributable to treated recurrence. Citation Format: Alexandra S. Vitko, Pamela A. Martin, Sheng Zhang, Adam F. Johnston, Robert L. Ohsfeldt, Shen Zheng, Astra M. Liepa. Costs of breast cancer recurrence after initial treatment for high risk early breast cancer using SEER-Medicare linked data [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2022 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(5 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-07-01.

Evaluation of Reliability and Correlations of Quality Measures in Cancer Care

Measurement of the quality of care is important for alternative payment models in oncology, yet the ability to distinguish high-quality from low-quality care across oncology practices remains uncertain. To assess the reliability of cancer care quality measures across oncology practices using registry and claims-based measures of process, utilization, end-of-life (EOL) care, and survival, and to assess the correlations of practice-level performance across measure and cancer types. This cross-sectional study used the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program registry linked to Medicare administrative data to identify individuals with lung cancer, breast cancer, or colorectal cancer (CRC) that was newly diagnosed between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2015, and who were treated in oncology practices with 20 or more patients. Data were analyzed from January 2018 to December 2020. Receipt of guideline-recommended treatment and surveillance, hospitalizations or emergency department visits during 6-month chemotherapy episodes, care intensity in the last month of life, and 12-month survival were measured. Summary measures for each domain in each cohort were calculated. Practice-level rates for each measure were estimated from hierarchical linear models with practice-level random effects; practice-level reliability (reproducibility) for each measure based on the between-measure variance, within-measure variance, and distribution of patients treated in each practice; and correlations of measures across measure and cancer types. In this study of SEER registry data linked to Medicare administrative data from 49 715 patients with lung cancer treated in 502 oncology practices, 21 692 with CRC treated in 347 practices, and 52 901 with breast cancer treated in 492 practices, few practices had 20 or more patients who were eligible for most process measures during the 5-year study period. Patients were 65 years or older; approximately 50% of the patients with lung cancer and CRC and all of the patients with breast cancer were women. Most measures had limited variability across practices. Among process measures, 0 of 6 for lung cancer, 0 of 6 for CRC, and 3 of 11 for breast cancer had a practice-level reliability of 0.75 or higher for the median-sized practice. No utilization, EOL care, or survival measure had reliability across practices of 0.75 or higher. Correlations across measure types were low (r ≤ 0.20 for all) except for a correlation between the CRC process and 1-year survival summary measures (r = 0.35; P < .001). Summary process measures had limited or no correlation across lung cancer, breast cancer, and CRC (r ≤ 0.16 for all). This study found that quality measures were limited by the small numbers of Medicare patients with newly diagnosed cancer treated in oncology practices, even after pooling 5 years of data. Measures had low reliability and had limited to no correlation across measure and cancer types, suggesting the need for research to identify reliable quality measures for practice-level quality assessments.

The value of survival gains from therapeutic innovations for US patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.

Aims:This study quantifies the value of survival gains attributable to novel treatments approved since 2003 for United States (US) patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM).Methods:We estimated the increase in survival attributable to lenalidomide and bortezomib for multiple myeloma (MM) patients in the 1983–2013 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry. To estimate the survival benefit of treatments approved since 2015 (carfilzomib, elotuzomab, daratumumab, used in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone) we used clinical trial data to calibrate survival estimated using the SEER data. We then conducted an economic valuation of the estimated shift in survival curves for all therapies. Finally, we estimated the share of the value accruing to patients and manufacturers using treatment costs estimated from MarketScan data.Results:The introduction of bortezomib in combination with dexamethasone (Vd) and lenalidomide in combination with dexamethasone (Rd) resulted in substantial survival gains and societal value for multiple myeloma patients, generating 1.7 additional life-years per RRMM patient. More recently, approved novel treatments have improved survival over effective treatments (i.e. Rd/Vd) by an additional 2.5 life-years – the monetary value of this incremental survival benefit far exceeds the incremental cost of treatment. At the patient level, the incremental benefit of Rd/Vd is $335,500 and with novel treatments is $565,000. Applying this benefit to all future cohorts of US RRMM patients translates into a value of at least $75 billion and $130 billion with Rd/Vd and the novel treatments, respectively.Conclusions:SEER registry data were only available through 2013. Therefore, survival gains for recently approved treatments were estimated based on clinical trials, rather than observed survival. Our valuation analysis does not capture sources of value aside from survival gains, for example, better quality of life, increased productivity, or the value of surviving until subsequent novel therapies become available. Substantial extensions in life expectancy in RRMM since 2003 translate into real economic value gained by society.

1088P Efficacy of post-operative radiation therapy in non-metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma: A registry-based analysis

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare aggressive neuroendocrine tumor of the skin. The optimal management of non-metastatic MCC is still unclear but it is crucial to decrease relapse risk and improve survival. We sought to assess the efficacy of radiation therapy (RT) of MCC without distant metastases (M0 MCC) by analyzing data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry. We extracted from the SEER Registry data about M0 MCC patients, identified by the 8247 ICD-03 code, irrespective of the site of origin. We collected data about stage at diagnosis, site and size of primary, extent of surgery, lymph node directed surgery, number of involved lymph nodes, RT, and survival outcome. Primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). Of 9773 MCC patients in the SEER registry, 2335 were M0 MCC (63% male, median age 77 years). MCC originated from skin of the limbs in 994 (61.6%), head and neck district in 386 (23.9%), and trunk in 234 (14.5%). Lymph nodes were negative in 1577 patients (67.5%), while among the 687 (32.5%) MCC with nodal involvement this was microscopic in 214, macroscopic in 233, not otherwise specified (NOS) in 240; 71 had in-transit metastases. Post-operative RT was performed in 1212 (51.9%) patients. Overall, median OS of M0 MCC patients was 56 months (95%CI: 50.7-61.3) and was affected by age, site, tumor size, nodal involvement, type of surgery of primary and RT (HR for RT: 0.65 [95%: 0.53-0.79]; p<0.001) at multivariate analysis. In the 1577 with negative lymph nodes, after correcting for confounding factors, OS was affected by age, sex, site, size of primary, extent of surgery and RT (HR for RT: 0.63 [95%: 0.47-0.82]; p<0.001). Among 687 patients with positive lymph nodes (67% male, median age 74), at multivariate analysis OS was affected by age, nodal involvement, number of positive lymph nodes and RT (HR for RT: 0.67 [95%CI: 0.49-0.92]; p=0.012). RT was associated with a decreased risk for death in M0 MCC, irrespective of nodal status.

Early-Onset Appendiceal Cancer Survival by Race or Ethnicity in the United States

Early-Onset Appendiceal Cancer Survival by Race or Ethnicity in the United States

3014 Identification of a Cohort to Study Treatment Patterns in Elderly Patients with Incident Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) using Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)-Medicare Data

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: (1) To define and describe a cohort of patients aged ≥65 years with incident HL from SEER-Medicare data. (2) To identify patient, disease, and system-level factors associated with initial treatment for HL. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: This retrospective cohort study utilized SEER-Medicare data from 1999-2014. Patients with incident classical HL were identified using SEER registry histology groupings. The cohort was restricted to those with Medicare Part A and B fee-for-service for 3 months prior to and 1 year after diagnosis (or until date of death) in order to fully capture claims for outpatient chemotherapy. Patients were excluded for the following reasons: missing month of HL diagnosis; unknown diagnostic confirmation; reporting from autopsy or death certificate; or another cancer diagnosis +/− 2 years of the HL diagnosis. Demographic and disease characteristics were defined based on SEER registry data. Broad treatment categories were defined using SEER data, while detailed treatment categories will be defined based on Medicare claims. Length of follow-up was defined as the number of months until the earliest of the following: death; end of continuous Medicare Part A and B fee-for-service enrollment; or the end of the available data (12/31/2014). Demographic, disease, and preliminary treatment characteristics were described for the cohort. Future analyses will explore patient and disease factors, including comorbidities and an estimate of frailty, as well as system-level factors associated with initial treatment of HL. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: We identified 2909 patients meeting eligibility for the cohort. The median length of follow-up was 22 months (Q1=5, Q3=62). Median age was 75.9 years (Q1=70, Q3=81), 49.6% were female, and 82.6% were non-Hispanic/White. Only 11.5% of patients were in rural or non-urban areas. 13.8% of patients were dual eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. Nodular sclerosis was the most common histology (35.2%), followed by mixed cellularity (21.1%); 36.5% had histology that was not otherwise specified. Patients were evenly distributed across Ann Arbor Stage (21.8% with I; 22.3% with II; 25.8% with III; 24.2% with IV; 6% unknown). B symptoms were present in 35.2% of patients, absent in 39.6%, and unknown in 25.2%. Neither tumor bulk nor international prognostic score were available via SEER registry data. According to SEER registry data, most patients received some treatment for their HL (81.9%) and 75% of those patients initiated treatment within one month of diagnosis. 72% of patients died with median time to death of 9 months (Q1=3, Q3=43). DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: We successfully identified and described a cohort of 2909 older patients with incident HL from the SEER-Medicare data. This provides a unique opportunity to study this cohort in a large, representative dataset with nearly 15 years of follow up. Future analysis will help us to better understand treatment patterns of HL in older patients and factors associated with treatment. These results can then be used to help improve care decisions and clinical outcomes.

Cost-effectiveness of carfilzomib plus dexamethasone compared with bortezomib plus dexamethasone for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma in the United States

ABSTRACTBackground: We assessed the economic value of carfilzomib 56 mg/m2 and dexamethasone (Kd56) vs. bortezomib and dexamethasone (Vd) for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (R/RMM) using ENDEAVOR trial results.Methods: Cost-effectiveness of Kd56 vs. Vd was assessed using a partitioned survival model by estimating progression-free survival, overall survival, and direct costs over a lifetime horizon. Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) survival data were extrapolated after matching registry and ENDEAVOR patients. Utilities were sourced from the literature and mapped from patient-reported quality of life in ENDEAVOR to estimate quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) from life-years (LYs).Results: The model predicted an average gain of 1.66 LYs and 1.50 QALYs with Kd56 vs. Vd, and lifetime additional costs of $182,699, resulting in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $121,828/QALY gained. The ICER was $114,793/QALY in patients with 1 prior treatment; $99,263/QALY in those not transplanted, and <$150,000/QALY up to an 85% discount in bortezomib price.Conclusions: Kd56 is cost-effective for patients with R/RMM at a willingness-to-pay threshold of $150,000/QALY. Trial data in the model may limit generalizability; however, SEER registry data mitigates this challenge. Kd56 provides additional value in key subgroups, and remains cost-effective after steep comparator discounts.

Mortality burden and prognosis of thin melanomas overall and by subcategory of thickness, SEER registry data, 1992-2013

Thin melanomas cause a high death toll despite excellent prognosis. We examined melanoma mortality burden and prognosis by categories of thickness within Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) 13 Registry 1992-2013. We divided 49,319 stage I and II melanoma cases diagnosed between 1992 and 2003 intoT1through T4 and then subdivided T1 into 0.01-0.25mm, 0.26-0.50mm, 0.51-0.75mm, and 0.76-1.00mm categories. We determined the number and proportion of deaths due to melanoma within10years of diagnosis for each thickness category and proportions within T1 subcategories with ulceration. We confirmed prognosis worsened as melanoma thickened from T1 to T4; however, most deaths resulted from melanomas that were diagnosed at the T1 stage. The smallest number of deaths within T1 resulted from 0.01-0.25 mm-thick melanomas; however, the risk for death within 10years was greater for those diagnosed with melanoma when tumor depth was 0.01-0.25mm than for those diagnosed when tumor depth was 0.26-0.50mm. Prognosis worsened with depths starting at 0.51mm. The pattern within T1 was not explained by ulceration. We did not evaluate melanoma subtype, mitotic rate, or other associated features. Thin melanomas are a substantial public health burden. Efforts should be made to diagnose melanoma at the in situ stage.

Determining breast cancer axillary surgery within the surveillance epidemiology and end results‐Medicare database

Use of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is under-reported by cancer registries' "Scope of Regional Lymph Node Surgery" variable. In 2011, the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program recommended against its use to determine extent of axillary surgery, leaving a gap in the utilization of claims data for breast cancer research. The objective was to develop an algorithm using SEER registry and claims data to classify extent of axillary surgery for breast cancer. We analyzed data for 24,534 breast cancer patients. CPT codes and number of examined lymph nodes classified the extent of axillary surgery. The final algorithm was validated by comparing the algorithm derived extent of axillary surgery to direct chart review for 100 breast cancer patients treated at our breast center. Using the algorithm, 13% had no axillary surgery, 56% SLNB and 31% axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). SLNB was performed in 77% of node negative patients and ALND in 72% of node positive. In our validation study, concordance between algorithm and direct chart review was 97%. Given recognized inaccuracies in cancer registries' "Scope of Regional Lymph Node Surgery" variable, these findings have high utility for health services researchers studying breast cancer treatment.

Age Patterns of Incidence of Geriatric Disease in the U.S. Elderly Population: Medicare‐Based Analysis

To use the Medicare Files of Service Use (MFSU) to evaluate patterns in the incidence of aging-related diseases in the U.S. elderly population. Age-specific incidence rates of 19 aging-related diseases were evaluated using the National Long Term Care Survey (NLTCS) and the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Registry data, both linked to MFSU (NLTCS-M and SEER-M, respectively), using an algorithm developed for individual date at onset evaluation. A random sample from the entire U.S. elderly population (Medicare beneficiaries) was used in NLTCS, and the SEER Registry data covers 26% of the U.S. population. Thirty-four thousand seventy-seven individuals from NLTCS-M and 2,154,598 from SEER-M. Individual medical histories were reconstructed using information on diagnoses coded in MFSU, dates of medical services and procedures, and Medicare enrollment and disenrollment. The majority of diseases (e.g., prostate cancer, asthma, and diabetes mellitus) had a monotonic decline (or decline after a short period of increase) in incidence with age. A monotonic increase in incidence with age with a subsequent leveling off and decline was observed for myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, ulcer, and Alzheimer's disease. An inverted U-shaped age pattern was detected for lung and colon carcinomas, Parkinson's disease, and renal failure. The results obtained from the NLTCS-M and SEER-M were in agreement (excluding an excess for circulatory diseases in the NLTCS-M). A sensitivity analysis proved the stability of the incidence rates evaluated. The developed computational approaches applied to the nationally representative Medicare-based data sets allow reconstruction of age patterns of disease incidence in the U.S. elderly population at the national level with unprecedented statistical accuracy and stability with respect to systematic biases.

P3-13-11: Survival Benefit Associated with Post-Mastectomy Radiation for Node-Positive, Intermediate-Risk Breast Cancer Patients: Results of a Study from the SEER Registry Data.

Abstract Background The role of post-mastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT) for breast cancer patients with intermediate-risk (1-3 positive nodes) disease remains controversial. This Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) study investigated the impact of PMRT in the intermediate-risk breast cancer patient population on cause-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS). The study also investigated the impact of estrogen receptor (ER) status, which has been reported in the SEER database since 2004, on the impact of PMRT in this patient population on CSS and OS. Methods: The SEER database was used to identify all breast cancer patients who were treated between 2004–2007, who had undergone mastectomy, and who had T1-2 tumors and 1–3 pathologically positive lymph nodes. The status of radiation therapy, ethnicity, tumor grade, TNM stage, year of diagnosis, number of LNs sampled, number of LNs positive, and estrogen/progesterone receptor status was recorded. Patients missing pathologic or treatment-related information were excluded. Statistical analysis for CSS and OS was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and analyzed using the log-rank test. Multivariable analysis was performed using the Cox proportional hazards regression model. Statistical analyses were performed using PASW, version 18. Results: 10,517 patients were identified, with a median follow-up of 21.8 months (range 0–47 months). 2339 patients (22.2%) received PMRT. Younger patients, increasing tumor size, increasing tumor grade, and ER negative tumors were more likely to receive PMRT. PMRT was associated with improved OS, 92.8% (95% CI 91.294.4%) versus 88.7% (95% CI 87.7−89.7%), p &amp;lt; 0.001. However, there was no overall CSS benefit to PMRT, p = 0.197. In the subgroup with ER positive tumors, PMRT was associated with both improved OS, 95.5% (95% CI 93.9−97.1%) versus 91.0% (95% CI 90.0−92.0%), p &amp;lt; 0.001, and improved CSS, 97.6% (95% CI 96.6−98.8%) versus 96.1% (95% CI 95.3−96.9%), p = 0.009. Multivariate analysis showed that PMRT was significantly associated with improved survival (HR 0.744, p = 0.011); increasing age, tumor grade, ER negative tumors, increasing tumor stage, and increasing positive nodal ratio were associated with increased risk of death. Conclusion: Patients with intermediate risk breast cancer who received PMRT have improved OS compared to those who did not receive PMRT. For patients with ER positive tumors, PMRT also appears to be associated with improved CSS. Greater consideration for post-mastectomy radiation therapy use may be warranted for this patient population. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2011;71(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-13-11.

Underascertainment of radiotherapy receipt in Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry data

Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry data have been used to suggest underuse and disparities in receipt of radiotherapy. Prior studies have cautioned that SEER may underascertain radiotherapy but lacked adequate representation to assess whether underascertainment varies by geography or patient sociodemographic characteristics. The authors sought to determine rates and correlates of underascertainment of radiotherapy in recent SEER data. The authors evaluated data from 2290 survey respondents with nonmetastatic breast cancer, aged 20 to 79 years, diagnosed from June of 2005 to February 2007 in Detroit and Los Angeles and reported to SEER registries (73% response rate). Survey responses regarding treatment and sociodemographic factors were merged with SEER data. The authors compared radiotherapy receipt as reported by patients versus SEER records. The authors then assessed correlates of radiotherapy underascertainment in SEER. Of 1292 patients who reported receiving radiotherapy, 273 were coded as not receiving radiotherapy in SEER (underascertained). Underascertainment was more common in Los Angeles than in Detroit (32.0% vs 11.25%, P < .001). On multivariate analysis, radiotherapy underascertainment was significantly associated in each registry (Los Angeles, Detroit) with stage (P = .008, P = .026), income (P < .001, P = .050), mastectomy receipt (P < .001, P < .001), chemotherapy receipt (P < .001, P = .045), and diagnosis at a hospital that was not accredited by the American College of Surgeons (P < .001, P < .001). In Los Angeles, additional significant variables included younger age (P < .001), nonprivate insurance (P < .001), and delayed receipt of radiotherapy (P < .001). SEER registry data as currently collected may not be an appropriate source for documentation of rates of radiotherapy receipt or investigation of geographic variation in the radiation treatment of breast cancer.

Using population-based registries to study variations in health care.

Using population-based registries to study variations in health care.

Clinicopathological Characteristics and Outcomes of Gliosarcoma: Analysis using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Registry Data

Clinicopathological Characteristics and Outcomes of Gliosarcoma: Analysis using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Registry Data

Breast Cancer Receptor Status: Do Results from a Centralized Pathology Laboratory Agree with SEER Registry Reports?

We investigated the extent to which estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) status results from a centralized pathology laboratory agree with ER and PR results from community pathology laboratories reported to two Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) registries (Los Angeles County and Detroit) and whether statistical estimates for the association between reproductive factors and breast cancer receptor subtypes differ by the source of data. The agreement between the centralized laboratory and SEER registry classifications was substantial for ER (kappa = 0.70) and nearly so for PR status (kappa = 0.60). Among the four subtypes defined by joint ER and PR status, the agreement between the two sources was substantial for the two major breast cancer subtypes (ER-/PR-, kappa = 0.69; ER+/PR+, kappa = 0.62) and poor for the two rarer subtypes (ER+/PR-, kappa = 0.30; ER-/PR+, kappa = 0.05). Estimates for the association between reproductive factors (number of full-term pregnancies, age at first full-term pregnancy, and duration of breastfeeding) and the two major subtypes (ER+/PR+ and ER-/PR-) differed minimally between the two sources of data. For example, parous women with at least four full-term pregnancies had 40% lower risk for ER+/PR+ breast cancer than women who had never been pregnant [centralized laboratory, odds ratio, 0.60 (95% confidence interval, 0.39-0.92); SEER, odds ratio, 0.57 (95% confidence interval, 0.38-0.85)]; no association was observed for ER-/PR- breast cancer (both P(trend) > 0.30). Our results suggest that conclusions based on SEER registry data are reasonably reliable for ER+/PR+ and ER-/PR- subtypes.

Recent cancer survival in Europe: a 2000–02 period analysis of EUROCARE-4 data

Traditional cancer-survival analyses provide data on cancer management at the beginning of a study period, and are often not relevant to current practice because they refer to survival of patients treated with older regimens that might no longer be used. Therefore, shortening the delay in providing survival estimates is desirable. Period analysis can estimate cancer survival by the use of recent data. We aimed to apply the period-analysis method to data that were collected by European cancer registries to estimate recent survival by country and cancer site, and to assess survival changes in Europe. We also compared our findings with data on cancer survival in the USA from the US SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results) programme. We analysed survival data for patients diagnosed with cancer in 2000-02, collected from 47 of the European cancer registries participating in the EUROCARE-4 study. 5-year period relative survival for patients diagnosed in 2000-02 was estimated as the product of interval-specific relative survival values of cohorts with different lengths of follow-up. 5-year survival profiles for patients diagnosed in 2000-02 were estimated for the European mean and for five European regions, and findings were compared with US SEER registry data for patients diagnosed in 2000-02. A 5-year survival profile for patients diagnosed in 1991-2002 and a 10-year survival profile for patients diagnosed in 1997-2002 were also estimated by the period method for all malignancies, by geographical area, and by cancer site. For all cancers, age-adjusted 5-year period survival improved for patients diagnosed in 2000-02, especially for patients with colorectal, breast, prostate, and thyroid cancer, Hodgkin's disease, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The European mean age-adjusted 5-year survival calculated by the period method for 2000-02 was high for testicular cancer (97.3% [95% CI 96.4-98.2]), melanoma (86.1% [84.3-88.0]), thyroid cancer (83.2% [80.9-85.6]), Hodgkin's disease (81.4% [78.9-84.1]), female breast cancer (79.0% [78.1-80.0]), corpus uteri (78.0% [76.2-79.9]), and prostate cancer (77.5% [76.5-78.6]); and low for stomach cancer (24.9% [23.7-26.2]), chronic myeloid leukaemia (32.2% [29.0-35.7]), acute myeloid leukaemia (14.8% [13.4-16.4]), and lung cancer (10.9% [10.5-11.4]). Survival for patients diagnosed in 2000-02 was generally highest for those in northern European countries and lowest for those in eastern European countries, although, patients in eastern European had the highest improvement in survival for major cancer sites during 1991-2002 (colorectal cancer from 30.3% [28.3-32.5] to 44.7% [42.8-46.7]; breast cancer from 60% [57.2-63.0] to 73.9% [71.7-76.2]; for prostate cancer from 39.5% [35.0-44.6] to 68.0% [64.2-72.1]). For all solid tumours, with the exception of stomach, testicular, and soft-tissue cancers, survival for patients diagnosed in 2000-02 was higher in the US SEER registries than for the European mean. For haematological malignancies, data from US SEER registries and the European mean were comparable in 2000-02, except for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Cancer-service infrastructure, prevention and screening programmes, access to diagnostic and treatment facilities, tumour-site-specific protocols, multidisciplinary management, application of evidence-based clinical guidelines, and recruitment to clinical trials probably account for most of the differences that we noted in outcomes.

Impact of breast carcinoma on African-American women: the Detroit experience.

National and regional population-based data have demonstrated substantially worse outcome in African-American patients with breast carcinoma when compared with white patients, as well as a younger age distribution among African-American patients with breast carcinoma. The extent to which various socioeconomic, environmental, lifestyle, and genetic factors interact to account for this ethnicity-related disparity in survival is poorly understood. Greater than one-half of the inner-city population of Detroit, Michigan is African American, and greater metropolitan Detroit has been one of the contributing registries for the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program since its inception in 1973. The impact of breast carcinoma on African Americans in the Detroit area is therefore well documented and provides significant insight into the history, epidemiology, and biology of this major public health care problem. A review of the medical literature published over the past 20 years regarding African-American patients with breast carcinoma was performed. The pertinent findings were summarized in the context of advances made in breast carcinoma screening, treatment, and risk reduction during that period. The large African-American population of Detroit is a major factor contributing to the excessive breast carcinoma mortality rate reported for this city, which is one of the highest in the United States. Improvements in early detection of breast carcinoma by using screening mammography have been apparent in the earlier stage distributions of breast carcinoma observed in both white and African-American patients; however, progress has lagged substantially for the latter group. Detroit SEER registry data also have shown a younger age distribution of African-American patients with breast carcinoma and higher rates of estrogen receptor negative tumors. Finally, preliminary data from health maintenance organizations have suggested improved breast carcinoma outcome for African Americans who possess greater socioeconomic benefits, but disparities in disease stage at presentation persist. The diverse Detroit community is ideally suited for breast carcinoma screening programs and clinical investigations that seek to address and overcome ethnicity-related survival disparities and barriers to health care. Findings from these studies can be correlated with results from similar projects in other geographic areas.