For many hematological malignancies (HMs) survival among older patients is compromised. We want to test the most up-to-date age-group-specific survival differences in five hematological malignancies, Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), multiple myeloma (MM), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myeloproliferative diseases (MPD) in Sweden (SE) and compared these to Denmark, Finland and Norway. For analysis we apply a recently published metric for comparing and visualizing age-group-specific relative survival differences using data from the NORDCAN database between 1972 and 2021. Periodic changes in age-related deviation in SE survival showed increasing differences for AML and MM while for the other HMs the differences declined in the course of time. Country-specific differences were observed, for Finnish male CLL and female MPD deviations were larger than those for the other countries, both of which were explained by the deviant survival of the oldest patients. Age-related deviations in 5-year survival increased for AML and MM for which survival improvements have been achieved through intense treatment regimens but these are not offered to old patients because of risk of complications. Paradoxically, improving overall survival in AML and MM has contributed to the widening of the age gaps. For the remaining HMs, age-related deviations declined with time as even old patients benefitted from the survival improvements; most notably female MPD and CLL patients had hardly any age gaps. Age disparities are an issue in hematological malignancies, and an intense search for novel treatments also includes old patients with an example of success as a novel drug venetoclax.

• Klíčová slova
• Cancer registry, Periodic survival, Prognosis, Treatment,
• MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• hematologické nádory * mortalita   diagnóza   epidemiologie   MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• míra přežití trendy   MeSH
• senioři nad 80 let MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• věkové faktory MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• senioři nad 80 let MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• srovnávací studie MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Dánsko epidemiologie   MeSH
• Finsko epidemiologie   MeSH
• Norsko epidemiologie   MeSH
• Švédsko epidemiologie   MeSH

Survival studies are important tools for cancer control, but long-term survival data on high-quality cancer registries are lacking for all cancers, including prostate (PC), testicular (TC), and penile cancers. Using generalized additive models and data from the NORDCAN database, we analyzed 1- and 5-year relative survival for these cancers in Denmark (DK), Finland (FI), Norway (NO), and Sweden (SE) over a 50-year period (1971-2020). We additionally estimated conditional 5/1-year survival for patients who survived the 1st year after diagnosis. Survival improved early for TC, and 5-year survival reached 90% between 1985 (SE) and 2000 (FI). Towards the end of the follow-up, the TC patients who had survived the 1st year survived the next 4 years with comparable probability to the background population. For PC, the 90% landmark was reached between 2000 (FI) and after 2010 (DK). For penile cancer, 5-year survival never reached the 90% landmark, and the improvements in survival were modest at best. For TC, early mortality requires attention, whereas late mortality should be tackled for PC. For penile cancer, the relatively high early mortality may suggest delays in diagnosis and would require more public awareness and encouragement of patients to seek medical opinion. In FI, TC and penile cancer patients showed roughly double risk of dying compared to the other Nordic countries, which warrants further study and clinical attention.

• Klíčová slova
• conditional survival, periodic survival, prognosis, time trends, treatment,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer (GC) and esophageal cancer (EC) are among the most fatal cancers and improving survival in them is a major clinical challenge. Nordic cancer data were recently released up to year 2019. These data are relevant for long-term survival analysis as they originate from high-quality national cancer registries from countries with practically free access to health care, thus documenting 'real-world' experience for entire populations. PATIENTS/METHODS: Data were obtained for Danish (DK), Finnish (FI), Norwegian (NO), and Swedish (SE) patients from the NORDCAN database from years 1970 through 2019. Relative 1- and 5-year survival were analyzed, and additionally the difference between 1- and 5-year survival was calculated as a measure of trends between years 1 and 5 after diagnosis. RESULTS: Relative 1-year survival for Nordic men and women in GC was 30% in period 1970-74 and it increased close to 60%. Early 5-year survival ranged between 10 and 15% and the last figures were over 30% for all women and NO men while survival for other men remain below 30%. Survival in EC was below that in GC, and it reached over 50% for 1-year survival only for NO patients; 5-year survival reached over 20% only for NO women. For both cancers, the difference between 1- and 5-year survival increased with time. Survival was worst among old patients. CONCLUSION: GC and EC survival improved over the 50-year period but the increase in 5-year survival was entirely explained by gains in 1-year survival, which improved at an accelerated pace in EC. The likely reasons for improvements are changes in diagnosis, treatment, and care. The challenges are to push survival past year 1 with attention to old patients. These cancers have a potential for primary prevention through the avoidance of risk factors.

• Klíčová slova
• mortality, relative survival, risk factors, stomach cancer, treatment,
• MeSH
• incidence MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• míra přežití MeSH
• nádory jícnu * epidemiologie   terapie   MeSH
• nádory žaludku * epidemiologie   terapie   MeSH
• registrace MeSH
• rizikové faktory MeSH
• věkové rozložení MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Dánsko MeSH
• Skandinávie a severské státy epidemiologie   MeSH

Studies of survival in hematological malignancies (HMs) have generally shown an improvement over time, although most of these studies are limited by a short follow-up period. Using the NORDCAN database with data from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, we follow periodic increases in relative survival in seven HMs through half a century up to 2015-2019. Five-year survival improved in all seven HMs, reaching 90% for Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), myeloproliferative neoplasias and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), 60% for multiple myeloma (MM) and chronic myeloid leukemias (CMLs), 50% for the myelodysplastic syndromes and 30% for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Improvements in survival over 50 years ranged from 20% to more than 50% units across the different HMs. The likely reasons for such progress include earlier diagnoses, improved risk stratification and advances in treatment. We observed differing temporal trends in improvements in survival. The gradual increases observed in HL, CLL and AML highlight the impact of optimization of existing therapies and improvements in diagnostics and risk stratification, whereas the rapid increases observed in the CMLs and MM highlight the impact of novel therapies. Recent therapeutic advances may further improve survival in HMs where survival remains low such as in AML.

• MeSH
• akutní myeloidní leukemie * terapie   MeSH
• chronická lymfatická leukemie * MeSH
• hematologické nádory * epidemiologie   terapie   MeSH
• Hodgkinova nemoc * MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mnohočetný myelom * epidemiologie   terapie   MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Skandinávie a severské státy epidemiologie   MeSH

Background: Survival studies in intestinal cancers have generally shown favorable development, but few studies have been able to pinpoint the timing of the changes in survival over an extended period. Here, we compared the relative survival rates for colon, rectal and small intestinal cancers from Denmark (DK), Finland (FI), Norway (NO) and Sweden (SE). Design: Relative 1-, 5- and 5/1-year conditional survival data were obtained from the NORDCAN database for the years 1971-2020. Results: The 50-year survival patterns were country-specific. For colon and rectal cancers, the slopes of survival curves bended upwards for DK, were almost linear for NO and bended downwards for FI and SE; 5-year survival was the highest in DK. Survival in small intestinal cancer was initially below colon and rectal cancers but in FI and NO it caught up toward the end of the follow-up. Conclusions: Relative survival in intestinal cancers has developed well in the Nordic countries, and DK is an example of a country which in 20 years was able to achieve excellent survival rates in colon and rectal cancers. In the other countries, the increase in survival curves for colon and rectal cancer has slowed down, which may be a challenge posed by metastatic cancers.

• Klíčová slova
• incidence, prognosis, relative survival, risk factors, treatment,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Liver cancer (LC) and pancreatic cancer (PC) are often diagnosed at an advanced stage resulting in high mortality. High-quality survival data are rarely available for trend analyses over a long period. METHODS: The Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish cancer data were accessed at the NORDCAN database. We analysed relative 1- and 5-year survival trends in LC and PC between years 1970 and 2019. RESULTS: Relative 1-year survival in LC for Nordic men and women was about 10% in the period between 1970 and 1974, and it increased moderately by year 2000 and steeply thereafter, eventually reaching 40-50%. The patterns in 5-year survival were similar, but after the year 2000, survival in Norway and Sweden increased steeply to 23%, whereas survival in Denmark and Finland lagged behind, reaching 10% to 15%. The patterns for PC also showed rapid improvement after the year 2000, with 1-year survival reaching 30% to 40% and 5-year survival reaching 10% for Finland and 15% for Norway and Sweden. Survival was best for patients diagnosed before age 50 years, and it was worst for older patients. For both cancers the difference between 1- and 5-year survival increased with time. CONCLUSIONS: Survival in LC and PC improved first modestly and then steeply over the 50-year period covered. The increase in 5-year survival was less than that of 1-year survival. The survival gains were most likely the result of earlier diagnosis, improved treatment, and better organised supportive care. The challenges are to keep up these positive trends, to extend survival benefits past Year 1, and to obtain similar results in elderly patients. Primary prevention through avoidance of risk factors would reduce case numbers. LAY SUMMARY: Liver and pancreatic cancers are among the most lethal of all cancers. In 50 years, survival in these cancers has slowly improved, and in the past 20 years, the development has been increasingly favourable. Widespread adoption of healthy lifestyles will be key to reducing the risk of these cancers.

• Klíčová slova
• CI5, Cancer Incidence in Five Continents, DK, Denmark, FI, Finland, Hepatocellular carcinoma, IARC, International Agency for Research on Cancer, ICD, International Classification of Diseases, ICSS, International Cancer Survival Standard, IPMN, intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm, LC, liver cancer, Mortality, NO, Norway, PAF, population attributable fraction, PC, pancreatic cancer, Relative survival, Risk factors, SE, Sweden, Treatment,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

BACKGROUND: Incidence of cervical cancer has been reduced by organized screening while for vaginal and vulvar cancers no systematic screening has been implemented. All these cancers are associated with human papilloma virus (HPV) infection. We wanted to analyze incidence trends and relative survival in these cancers with specific questions about the possible covariation of incidence, survival changes coinciding with incidence changes and the role of treatment in survival. We used nationwide cancer registry data for Denmark (DK), Finland (FI), Norway (NO) and Sweden (SE) to address these questions. METHODS: We use the NORDCAN database for the analyses: incidence data were available from 1943 in DK, 1953 in FI and NO and 1960 in SE, through 2016. Survival data were available from 1967 through 2016. World standard population was used in age standardization. RESULTS: In each country the incidence of cervical cancer declined subsequent to rolling out of screening activities. The attained plateau incidence was lowest at 4/100,000 in FI and highest at 10/100,000 in DK and NO. The incidence of vaginal and vulvar cancer remained relatively constant at about 2/100,000. Relative 1-year survival in cervical cancer improved in all countries from low 80%s to high 80%s in the 50-year period, and 5-year survival improved also but at 20% units lower level. Survival gains were found only in patients diagnosed before age 60 years. Survival in vaginal and vulvar cancer followed the same patterns but at a few % units lower level. CONCLUSION: Cervical cancer screening appeared to have reached its limits in the Nordic countries by year 2000. Novel treatments, such as immunotherapy, would be needed to improve survival until HPV vaccination will reach population coverage and boost the global fight against these cancers.

• Klíčová slova
• Age-specific incidence, Human papilloma virus, Incidence trends, Relative survival, Risk factors,
• MeSH
• časná detekce nádoru MeSH
• incidence MeSH
• infekce papilomavirem * MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• nádory děložního čípku * prevence a kontrola   terapie   MeSH
• nádory vulvy * epidemiologie   terapie   MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Dánsko epidemiologie   MeSH
• Finsko epidemiologie   MeSH
• Norsko epidemiologie   MeSH
• Švédsko epidemiologie   MeSH