Cancer prevalence in France]

To measure the frequency of cancer in a given country on a given year, one can use the number of new diagnosis or the number of deaths, but one can also consider the number of patients who have had a cancer diagnosed in the past and are still alive. This indicator is called prevalence. We present here estimations for the prevalence of cancer at 5 years in France, by sex and by site of cancer. These estimations are based on the number of new diagnoses in 1995 and on survival rates observed in Europe. In year 2000, 620,000 persons (310,000 men and 310,000 women) were followed up in France for a cancer diagnosed within the last 5 years. The most prevalent cancers were breast (136,000 cases), colorectal (91,000 cases) and prostate (83,000 cases) cancers.     

Cancer Prevalence in Aichi,Japan for 2012: Estimates Based on Incidence and Survival Data from Population-Based Cancer Registry

Background: Cancer is the leading cause of death among both men and women in Japan. Monitoring cancer prevalence is important because prevalence data play a critical role in the development and implementation of health policy. We estimated cancer prevalence in 2012 based on cancer incidence and 5-year survival rate in Aichi Prefecture using data from a population-based cancer registry, the Aichi Cancer Registry, which covers 7.4 million people. Methods: The annual number of incident cases between 2008 and 2012 was used. Survival data of patients diagnosed in 2006–2008 and followed up until the end of 2012 were selected for survival analysis. Cancer prevalence was estimated from incidence and year-specific survival probabilities. Cancer prevalence was stratified by sex, cancer site (25 major cancers), and age group at diagnosis. Results: The estimated prevalence for all cancers in 2012 was 68,013 cases among men, 52,490 cases among women, with 120,503 cases for both sexes. Colorectal cancer was the most incident cancer with 6,654 cases, accounting for 16.0% of overall incident cases, followed by stomach cancer with 5,749 cases (13.8%) and lung cancer with 5,593 cases (13.4%). Prostate cancer was the most prevalent among men, accounting for 21.5%, followed by colorectal and stomach cancers. Breast cancer was the most prevalent among women, accounting for 28.6%, followed by colorectal, stomach, and uterine cancers. Conclusion: This study provides cancer prevalence data that could serve as useful essential information for local governments in cancer management, to carry out more practical and reasonable countermeasures for cancer.     

Global cancer statistics, 2002

Estimates of the worldwide incidence, mortality and prevalence of 26 cancers in the year 2002 are now available in the GLOBOCAN series of the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The results are presented here in summary form, including the geographic variation between 20 large "areas" of the world. Overall, there were 10.9 million new cases, 6.7 million deaths, and 24.6 million persons alive with cancer (within three years of diagnosis). The most commonly diagnosed cancers are lung (1.35 million), breast (1.15 million), and colorectal (1 million); the most common causes of cancer death are lung cancer (1.18 million deaths), stomach cancer (700,000 deaths), and liver cancer (598,000 deaths). The most prevalent cancer in the world is breast cancer (4.4 million survivors up to 5 years following diagnosis). There are striking variations in the risk of different cancers by geographic area. Most of the international variation is due to exposure to known or suspected risk factors related to lifestyle or environment, and provides a clear challenge to prevention.     

The Prevalence of Cancer in Sweden 1984

A total of 772492 (99.3%) of all patients with a newly diagnosed malignant disease notified to the National Swedish Cancer Registry during 1958 through 1984 could be followed up with respect to survival or emigration by means of computerized record linkages. the number of cancer patients still alive on December 31, 1984, totalling 194389, was divided by the appropriate population denominator. the crude prevalence rate in Sweden of individuals who have or have had any cancer was 1840 per 10⁵ in males and 2808 per 10⁵ in females. At ages 40 through 59, the rates in females were 2.2 to 2.5 times higher than those in males, whereas after the age of 75 cancer was more prevalent in males. Prostate cancer was the most common tumour in males, 24.5% of the crude prevalence rate (451 per 10⁵), followed by colorectal cancer, cancer of the bladder and malignant melanoma. in females, the breast was the dominating cancer site, accounting for 32.7% (917 per 10⁵), followed by cancer of the large bowel, uterine corpus and uterine cervix. We conclude that prevalence rates provide important information about the magnitude of the cancer problem over and above that revealed by incidence and mortality statistics. the high, and probably increasing, prevalence rates over time emphasize that important savings in economic and other resources can be achieved by strictly evaluated and cost-effective regimens for follow-up.     

河北省40年结直肠癌发病和死亡分析

背景与目的:结直肠癌是常见的消化道肿瘤之一,2012年全球约有136万结直肠癌新发病例,是世界第3高发恶性肿瘤,居恶性肿瘤死亡第4位,严重威胁着人类健康.该研究通过肿瘤登记地区结直肠癌发病死亡情况估计河北省结直肠癌疾病负担,与河北省三次全死因回顾调查资料比较,分析结直肠癌死亡率的时间变化趋势.方法:河北省肿瘤登记办公室收集到9个肿瘤登记处上报的2010—2012年恶性肿瘤发病和死亡资料.数据分性别、年龄别(0、1~4、5~9、10~14……80以上)计算恶性肿瘤发病率、死亡率和构成;采用2000年中国标准化人口构成和Segi's世界人口构成分别计算中国和世界人口年龄标准化发病率和死亡率.整理分析河北省1973—1975年、1990—1992年和2004—2005年三次全死因回顾调查的结直肠癌数据.采用Joinpoint回归模型分析磁县肿瘤登记处1988—2012年和涉县肿瘤登记处2000—2012年结直肠癌发病和死亡趋势.结果:河北省肿瘤登记地区2010—2012年结直肠癌新发病例2303例,死亡1229例.结直肠癌发病率为16.48/10万(男性18.12/10万,女性14.77/10万),中国人口标准化发病率为13.74/10万;结直肠癌死亡率为8.79/10万(男性10.23/10万,女性7.31/10万),中国人口标准化死亡率7.59/10万.河北省2010—2012年结直肠癌死亡率较1973—1975年升高了28.03%.磁县1988—2012年男性结直肠癌发病率年度平均变化百分比(annual percentage changes,APC)为3.55,死亡率APC为1.64.涉县2000—2012年男性结直肠癌发病率APC为4.68,女性为9.17.涉县2000—2012年男性结直肠癌死亡率APC为5.61.结论:河北省近40年结直肠癌发病与死亡呈现上升趋势.加强结直肠癌筛查,降低结直肠癌发病率和死亡率是河北省一项重要任务.     

The prevalence of colorectal cancer in Italy

AIMS: To analyze the prevalence of colorectal cancer (CRC) in different areas of Italy by age, interval since diagnosis and disease stage at diagnosis, and to estimate the prevalence of CRC. These data provide estimates of patient demand on health resources. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eleven Italian cancer registries (CRs) provided data on 33,740 patients observed for up to 15 years. For the 1,829 cases from the specialized colorectal cancer registry of Modena we analyzed prevalence by Dukes' stage and family history. PREVAL software produced observed prevalence figures by time from diagnosis; to determine the total prevalence, correction factors were applied to the observed data. RESULTS: At the end of 1992, five-year CRC prevalence was high (close to 200 per 100,000) in Genova, Parma, Romagna and Firenze, and low (around 75 per 100,000) in the southern areas of Latina and Ragusa. For all CRs, 86 patients per 100,000 population were alive up to 2 years from diagnosis and 77 per 100,000 between 2 and 5 years from diagnosis. The 5-year prevalence of patients diagnosed with Dukes' B or C (high risk of recurrence and requiring postoperative surveillance) was 152 per 100,000; that of Dukes' A patients 36 per 100,000 (considered cured after surgery and not requiring intensive follow-up or care); that of unstaged patients plus those with distant metastasis at diagnosis was 28 per 100,000 at 5 years (requiring palliative care but not follow-up). The 12-year prevalence of HNPCC was 23 per 100,000, or about 7% of the total; for such patients knowledge of the long-term prevalence is important because they are diagnosed young and are at high risk of multiple tumor development. CONCLUSIONS: 70% of the prevalent patients diagnosed within 5 years prior to the prevalence date were likely to require care for cancer recurrence, while 13% of the prevalent cases required care for distant metastases.     

Cancer treatment and survivorship statistics, 2012

Although there has been considerable progress in reducing cancer incidence in the United States, the number of cancer survivors continues to increase due to the aging and growth of the population and improvements in survival rates. As a result, it is increasingly important to understand the unique medical and psychosocial needs of survivors and be aware of resources that can assist patients, caregivers, and health care providers in navigating the various phases of cancer survivorship. To highlight the challenges and opportunities to serve these survivors, the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute estimated the prevalence of cancer survivors on January 1, 2012 and January 1, 2022, by cancer site. Data from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registries were used to describe median age and stage at diagnosis and survival; data from the National Cancer Data Base and the SEER-Medicare Database were used to describe patterns of cancer treatment. An estimated 13.7 million Americans with a history of cancer were alive on January 1, 2012, and by January 1, 2022, that number will increase to nearly 18 million. The 3 most prevalent cancers among males are prostate (43%), colorectal (9%), and melanoma of the skin (7%), and those among females are breast (41%), uterine corpus (8%), and colorectal (8%). This article summarizes common cancer treatments, survival rates, and posttreatment concerns and introduces the new National Cancer Survivorship Resource Center, which has engaged more than 100 volunteer survivorship experts nationwide to develop tools for cancer survivors, caregivers, health care professionals, advocates, and policy makers.     

2016年上海市胰腺癌发病和死亡情况与2002—2016年流行趋势分析

背景与目的:上海市疾病预防控制中心每年更新上海市胰腺癌发病和死亡及其趋势的统计资料.胰腺癌是常见的消化道恶性肿瘤之一,由于其起病隐匿,预后极差,给患者及其家庭、社会带来了极大的疾病负担.分析2016年上海市胰腺癌发病和死亡情况及2002—2016年流行趋势,以期了解上海市胰腺癌的流行现状及变化趋势,为胰腺癌的防治和进一...     

A snapshot of smokers after lung and colorectal cancer diagnosis

BACKGROUND:

Continued smoking after a cancer diagnosis may adversely affect treatment effectiveness, subsequent cancer risk, and survival. The prevalence of continued smoking after cancer diagnosis is understudied.

METHODS:

In the multi‐regional Cancer Care Outcomes Research and Surveillance cohort (lung cancer [N = 2456], colorectal cancer [N = 3063]), the authors examined smoking rates at diagnosis and 5 months after diagnosis and also study factors associated with continued smoking.

RESULTS:

Overall, 90.2% of patients with lung cancer and 54.8% of patients with colorectal cancer reported ever smoking. At diagnosis, 38.7% of patients with lung cancer and 13.7% of patients with colorectal cancer were smoking; whereas, 5 months after diagnosis, 14.2% of patients with lung cancer and 9.0% of patients with colorectal cancer were smoking. Factors that were associated independently with continued smoking among patients with nonmetastatic lung cancer were coverage by Medicare, other public/unspecified insurance, not receiving chemotherapy, not undergoing surgery, prior cardiovascular disease, lower body mass index, lower emotional support, and higher daily ever‐smoking rates (all P < .05). Factors that were associated independently with continued smoking among patients with nonmetastatic colorectal cancer were male sex, high school education, being uninsured, not undergoing surgery, and higher daily ever‐smoking rates (all P < .05).

CONCLUSIONS:

After diagnosis, a substantial minority of patients with lung and colorectal cancers continued smoking. Patients with lung cancer had higher rates of smoking at diagnosis and after diagnosis; whereas patients with colorectal cancer were less likely to quit smoking after diagnosis. Factors that were associated with continued smoking differed between lung and colorectal cancer patients. Future smoking‐cessation efforts should examine differences by cancer type, particularly when comparing cancers for which smoking is a well established risk factor versus cancers for which it is not. Cancer 2012;118: 3153–64. © 2012 American Cancer Society.     

Cancer in the very elderly Dutch population

BACKGROUND: Cancer incidence and mortality rates rarely are studied in people age > 85 years. Usually, patients ages 65 years, 75 years, and 85 years of age are combined into 1 group because of small numbers. The number of people age > or = 85 years in the Netherlands increased from 99,000 in 1976 to 203,000 in 1995 (an increase of 105%). The growth of the total population in this period was only 13%. This study addressed cancer incidence and mortality rates among the very elderly in the Netherlands. METHODS: Cancer mortality data (1976-1995) and population data were obtained from Statistics Netherlands, whereas cancer incidence data (1989-1995) were provided by the Netherlands Cancer Registry. Cancer incidence and mortality rates were calculated and trends in cancer mortality were studied. RESULTS: Total cancer incidence rates were highest in the age group 85-94 years, in men and women (3466/100,000 person-years and 1604/100,000 person-years, respectively). Prostate carcinoma was the most frequent cancer in men ages 85-94 years, followed by colorectal carcinoma. In women ages 85-94 years, colorectal carcinoma was most frequent, closely followed by breast carcinoma. In the 95+ years age group squamous cell skin carcinoma was the most frequent cancer in both men and women, followed by prostate carcinoma in men and breast carcinoma in women. Cancer mortality rates increased with increasing age to nearly 3700/100,000 person-years in men age 95+ years and 2500/100,000 person-years in women age 95+ years. In men, lung carcinoma was the most frequent cancer-related cause of death in patients age < or = 85 years, whereas in older men this applied to prostate carcinoma. In women, breast carcinoma was the most frequent cancer-related cause of death in all age groups > 55 years. Cancer as a cause of death became less prominent with increasing age. Over the period 1991-1995, 42% of deaths in men ages 55-64 years were attributed to cancer versus 52% of deaths in women (total population); these proportions in the 95+ years age group were 11% and 7%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Peak incidence rates of major cancers were found in the very elderly population in the Netherlands. Different trends in age specific mortality rates of individual cancer sites were found, with stable rates in the middle age groups and increasing rates in the oldest age groups. This may reflect a real increase caused for instance by changes in mortality from other diseases and/or an artifactual increase caused by increased cancer detection rates in the (very) elderly.     

Cancer prevalence in France: time trend, situation in 2002 and extrapolation to 2012

BackgroundCancer prevalence is a basic indicator of the cancer burden in a population and essential to estimate the resources needed for care of cancer patients. This paper provides a prevalence estimate for 2002 and 2012 in France and an assessment of the trend in prevalence over the period 1993–2002.MethodIncidence and survival data from French cancer registries were used to estimate specific 5-year partial prevalence rates that were then applied to the whole French population.ResultsIn 2002, the 5-year partial prevalence was over 427,000 in men and 409,000 in women. The most frequent cancer site among men was prostate (35% of the cases) and breast in women (45% of the cases). In 2002, in France, more than 3.5% of men over 74 years old are alive with a prostatic cancer diagnosed within 5 years. The increase in the number of cases between 1993 and 2002 was about 40% and was mainly due to prostate and breast cancers. The demographic variations alone induce an increase of the number of prevalent cases of 75,000 among men and 54,500 among women if both incidence and survival are considered as stable during the period 2002–2012.ConclusionThis study uses a large amount of information from cancer registries which makes it possible to assess the cancer burden. Five-year prevalence is very sensitive to changes in incidence and demographic changes. Prevalence has to be estimated regularly in order to ensure accurate medical care meets demand.     

Prevalence of patients with colorectal cancer requiring follow-up or active treatment

IntroductionThe objective of this study was to estimate prevalence of colorectal cancers requiring care or follow-up.Materials and methodsPrevalence was observed in 2005 on the population-based digestive cancer registry of Burgundy (France). Total and 5-year partial prevalences were calculated. The prevalence of patients requiring follow-up was estimated using non-mixture cure models. The prevalence of patients with recurrence was estimated using annual recurrence rates.ResultsTotal prevalence was 262,244 cases in France. The mean variation in 5-year partial prevalence between successive 5-year periods was +8.0%. Time to cure was estimated to be 9.3 years, suggesting that follow-up is needed over a 10-year period, corresponding to 71.7% of prevalent cases. In 2005, 5.4% of prevalent cases had recurrent cancer requiring treatment.ConclusionThis study underlines the burden of colorectal cancer on the health system. Prevalence of patients requiring follow-up or treatment provides interesting information in addition to classic indicators.     

Cancer prevalence in European registry areas.

BACKGROUND: Information on cancer prevalence is of major importance for health planning and resource allocation. However, systematic information on cancer prevalence is largely unavailable. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-eight population-based cancer registries from 17 European countries, participating in EUROPREVAL, provided data on almost 3 million cancer patients diagnosed from 1970 to 1992. Standardised data collection and validation procedures were used and the whole data set was analysed using proven methodology. The prevalence of stomach, colon, rectum, lung, breast, cervix uteri, corpus uteri and prostate cancer, as well as of melanoma of skin, Hodgkin's disease, leukaemia and all malignant neoplasms combined, were estimated for the end of 1992. RESULTS: There were large differences between countries in the prevalence of all cancers combined; estimates ranged from 1170 per 100000 in the Polish cancer registration areas to 3050 per 100000 in southern Sweden. For most cancers, the Swedish, Swiss, German and Italian areas had high prevalence, and the Polish, Estonian, Slovakian and Slovenian areas had low prevalence. Of the total prevalent cases, 61% were women and 57% were 65 years of age or older. Cases diagnosed within 2 years of the reference date formed 22% of all prevalent cases. Breast cancer accounted for 34% of all prevalent cancers in females and colorectal cancer for 15% in males. Prevalence tended to be high where cancer incidence was high, but the prevalence was highest in countries where survival was also high. Prevalence was low where general mortality was high (correlation between general mortality and the prevalence of all cancers = -0.64) and high where gross domestic product was high (correlation = +0.79). Thus, the richer areas of Europe had higher prevalence, suggesting that prevalence will increase with economic development. CONCLUSIONS: EUROPREVAL is the largest project on prevalence conducted to date. It has provided complete and accurate estimates of cancer prevalence in Europe, constituting essential information for cancer management. The expected increases in prevalence with economic development will require more resources; allocation to primary prevention should therefore be prioritised.     

Some Epidemiological Measures of Cancer in Kuwait: National Cancer Registry Data from 2000 -2009

Introduction: Cancer is the second cause of death in Kuwaiti people after cardiovascular diseases. This studyis the first in the country to describe epidemiological measures related to cancer in this population. Methods:Data obtained from the Kuwait cancer registry included all Kuwaiti patients between years 2000-2009. Analyseswere conducted using age-specific rates, the age-standardization-direct method, 95% confidence intervals (95%CI), cumulative risk by the age of 74 years, limited-duration prevalence, mortality and forecasting to year 2029.Results: It was noted that the commonest cancer sites were colorectal with an age standardized incidence rate(ASIR) of 16.1/100,000 in males and breast (49.4/100,000) in the female population. The trend of cancer incidence(1974-2009) showed no statistically significant change. First causes of death due to cancer were female breast8(6.4-9.6)/100,000 and lung (males) 8.1/100,000 (6.6-10.0). The risk of developing cancer by the age of 74 was13.4% (1/8) and 14.3% (1/7) in males and females respectively, and the risk of dying from cancer in the sameage group was 1/17 and 1/23. By the end of 2009, prevalent cases represented 0.52% of the Kuwaiti population.In the year 2029, the total number of cancer cases is expected to reach 1200 cases compared to 889 cases in2009. Conclusions and recommendations: The most common cancers in Kuwait (breast, colorectal and lung)are largely preventable. Prompt and effective interventional prevention programs that vigorously involve diet,anti-smoking and physical activity for both sexes are urgently required.     

Trends in Incidences of Stomach and Colorectal Cancer in Khon Kaen,Thailand 1985-2004

Background: The life styles of Thai people are changing with westernization and this would be expected to havean impact on the prevalence of cancer and other non-communicable diseases. For planning control programmes it isnecessary to monitor change over time and the present study was conducted to provide information on stomach andcolorectal cancer incidence rates in Khon Kaen Cancer Registry (KKCR), established in 1984 at the Faculty ofMedicine, Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen University. Objective: To assess trends in urban and rural areas ofKhon Kaen province during 1985 - 2004. Methods: Data for stomach and colorectal cancer with an ICD-O diagnosis(coding C16 , C18 – C20) from the population-based cases of the KKCR, registered between 1985 and 2004, wereretrieved and incidence trends were calculated using the Generalized Linear Model method (GLM), which generatesincidence-rate-based logarithms. Results: The study population comprised 2,530 cases, 721 of stomach (males 449,females 272) and 1809 of colorectal (males 976, females 833) cancer. Most cases were aged 35-75 years. Accordingto the histopathological diagnosis, the most common was adenocarcinoma with over 90 percent. The overall agestandardizedincidence rates (ASR) for stomach cancer were 4.5 and 1.4 per 100 000 in males and females, respectively,during 1985-1989, 3.7 and 2.0 during 1990-1994, 3.0 and 2.2 during 1995-1999 and 3.6 and 1.8 during 2000-2004 .The respective figures for colorectal cancer were 3.3 and 2.6, 4.6 and 3.1, 5.4 and 3.5 and finally 5.8 and 5.3. In bothurban and rural areas males were affected more frequently than females, although a shift was evident towardsdecrease in the se ratio was evident for colorectal cancers over time. Discussion: The results of this study showedslight increase in the incidence of colorectal cancer in Khon Kaen province, while rates for stomach cancer remainedquite stable. The findings indicate a need for continuing research in stomach and colorectal cancer epidemiology,with subdivision into particular sites within these two sections of the gut.     

An estimate of the number of people in Italy living after a childhood cancer

Cancers diagnosed in children below the age of 15 years represent 1.2% of all cancer cases, and survival after a childhood cancer has greatly improved over the past 40 years in all high income countries. This study aims to estimate the number of people living in Italy after a childhood cancer for all cancers combined and for a selection of cancer types. We computed 15‐year prevalence using data from 15 Italian population‐based cancer registries (covering 19% of Italian population) and estimated complete prevalence for Italy by using the CHILDPREV method, implemented in the COMPREV software. A total of 44,135 persons were alive at January 1st, 2010 after a cancer diagnosed during childhood. This number corresponds to a proportion of 73 per 100,000 Italians and to about 2% of all prevalent cases. Among them, 54% were males and 64% had survived after being diagnosed before 1995, the start of the observation period. A quarter of all childhood prevalent cases were diagnosed with brain and central nervous system tumors, a quarter with acute lymphoid leukemia, and 7% with Hodgkin lymphoma. Nearly a quarter of prevalent patients were aged 40 years and older. Information about the number of people living after a childhood cancer in Italy by cancer type and their specific health care needs may be helpful to health‐care planners and clinicians in the development of guidelines aimed to reduce the burden of late effect of treatments during childhood.     

Health-related quality of life among long-term survivors of colorectal cancer: a population-based study

Background.

The number of long-term colorectal cancer survivors is increasing. Cancer and its treatment can cause physical and psychological complications, but little is known about how it impacts quality of life (QOL) over the long term—5, 10, and 15 years after diagnosis.

Methods.

Cancer survivors were randomly selected from three tumor registries in France, diagnosed in 1990 (±1 year), 1995 (±1 year), and 2000 (±1 year). Controls were randomly selected from electoral rolls, stratifying on gender, age group, and residence area. Participants completed two QOL questionnaires, a fatigue questionnaire, an anxiety questionnaire, and a life conditions questionnaire. An analysis of variance was used to compare QOL scores of cancer survivors by period of diagnosis (5, 10, and 15 years) with those of controls, adjusted for sociodemographic data and comorbidities.

Results.

We included 344 colon cancer and 198 rectal cancer survivors and 1,181 controls. In a global analysis, survivors reported a statistically and clinically significant lower score in social functioning 5 years after diagnosis and higher scores in diarrhea symptoms 5 and 10 years after diagnosis. In subgroup analyses, rectal cancer affected QOL in the physical dimensions at 5 years and in the fatigue dimensions at 5 and 10 years.

Conclusion.

Survivors of colorectal cancer may experience the effects of cancer and its treatment up to 10 years after diagnosis, particularly for rectal cancer. Clinicians, psychologists, and social workers must pay special attention to rectal cancer survivors to improve overall management.     

Cancer prevalence estimates in Europe at the beginning of 2000

BackgroundComplete cancer prevalence data in Europe have never been updated after the first estimates provided by the EUROPREVAL project and referred to the year 1993. This paper provides prevalence estimates for 16 major cancers in Europe at the beginning of the year 2003.Patients and methodsWe estimated complete prevalence by the completeness index method. We used information on cancer patients diagnosed in 1978–2002 with vital status information available up to 31 December 2003, from 76 European cancer registries.ResultsAbout 11.6 millions of Europeans with a history of one of the major considered cancers were alive on 1 January 2003. For breast and prostate cancers, about 1 out of 73 women and 1 out of 160 men were living with a previous diagnosis of breast and prostate cancers, respectively. The demographic variations alone will increase the number of prevalent cases to nearly 13 millions in 2010.ConclusionsSeveral factors (early detection, population aging and better treatment) contribute to increase cancer prevalence and push for the need of a continuous monitoring of prevalence indicators to properly plan needs, resource allocation to cancer and for improving health care programs for cancer survivors. Cancer prevalence should be included within the EU official health statistics.     

Staging of advanced colorectal cancer

The management of advanced colorectal cancer has changed dramatically during the last decade. By redefining resectability, and with the use of modern chemotherapy, nearly 10% of unresectable patients are now alive 5 years after diagnosis, and, overall, 20% are alive at 5 years when the combined results of surgery and chemotherapy are considered. These achievements are not reflected in the current staging, which categorizes all disease spread beyond the lymph node basin of the primary tumor as unstratified stage 4. This article discusses the merits of a number of proposals for a new, meaningful staging system for advanced colorectal cancer.