Relative survival in early-stage cancers in the Netherlands: a population-based study

In this nationwide, population-based study, we assessed 10-year relative survival among 225,305 patients with ten early-stage cancers diagnosed in the Netherlands during 2004-2015. This study aimed to ascertain which early-stage cancer is associated with minimal or no excess mortality and likely to be diagnosed in individuals who are otherwise more healthy or health-conscious than their counterparts in the general population. Ten-year relative survival marginally exceeded 100% in patients with early-stage prostate cancer, while it was close to 100% for patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and stage I cancers of the breast, skin (melanoma), testis, and thyroid. In contrast, patients with early-stage oral/pharyngeal, bladder, lung, and pancreatic cancers experienced considerable excess mortality, reflected by a 10-year relative survival of 74.9%, 69.4%, 45.5%, and 33.9%, respectively. Collectively, the life expectancy of patients with DCIS and early-stage cancers of the prostate, breast, skin (melanoma), testis, and thyroid parallels the expected survival of an age-, sex-, and calendar year-matched group from the general population. Our study findings add to the controversy surrounding overdiagnosis of particular early-stage cancers that are generally not destined to metastasis or cause excess mortality

The effectiveness of ibrutinib in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia: a nationwide, population-based study in the Netherlands

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Possible hampered effectiveness of second-line treatment with rituximab-containing chemotherapy without signs of rituximab resistance: a population-based study among patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Rituximab-containing chemotherapy remains a viable frontline treatment option for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in the era of novel agents. However, its effectiveness in the second-line setting—in relation to previous rituximab exposure in first-line—has hardly been evaluated in a population-based setting. Therefore, in this comprehensive, population-based study, we assessed the impact of first-line treatment with rituximab-containing chemotherapy on the effectiveness of second-line treatment with rituximab-containing chemot

Improved survival for adolescents and young adults with Hodgkin lymphoma and continued high survival for children in the Netherlands: a population-based study during 1990–2015

Population-based studies that assess long-term patterns of incidence, major aspects of treatment and survival are virtually lacking for Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) at a younger age. This study assessed the progress made for young patients with HL (<25 years at diagnosis) in the Netherlands during 1990–2015. Patient and tumour characteristics were extracted from the population-based Netherlands Cancer Registry. Time trends in incidence and mortality rates were evaluated with average annual percentage change (AAPC) analyses. Stage at diagnosis, i

The impact of the temporary suspension of national cancer screening programmes due to the COVID-19 epidemic on the diagnosis of breast and colorectal cancer in the Netherlands

Oncological care was largely derailed due to the reprioritisation of health care services to handle the initial surge of COVID-19 patients adequately. Cancer screening programmes were no exception in this reprioritisation. They were temporarily halted in the Netherlands (1) to alleviate the pressure on health care services overwhelmed by the upsurge of COVID-19 patients, (2) to reallocate staff and personal protective equipment to support critical COVID-19 care, and (3) to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Utilising data from the Netherlands Cancer Registry on provisional cancer diagnoses between 6 January 2020 and 4 October 2020, we assessed the impact of the temporary halt of national population screening programmes on the diagnosis of breast and colorectal cancer in the Netherlands. A dynamic harmonic regression model with ARIMA error components was applied to assess the observed versus expected number of cancer diagnoses per calendar week. Fewer diagnoses of breast and colorectal cancer were objectified amid the early stages of the initial COVID-19 outbreak in the Netherlands. This effect was most pronounced among the age groups eligible for cancer screening programmes, especially in breast cancer (age group 50–74 years). Encouragingly enough, the observed number of diagnoses ultimately reached and virtually remained at the level of the expected values. This finding, which emerged earlier in age groups not invited for cancer screening programmes, comes on account of the decreased demand for critical COVID-19 care since early April 2020, which, in turn, paved the way forward to resume screening programmes and a broad range of non-critical health care services, albeit with limited operating and workforce capacity. Collectively, transient changes in health-seeking behaviour, referral practices, and cancer screening programmes amid the early stages of the initial COVID-19 epidemic in the Netherlands conjointly acted as an accelerant for fewer breast and colorectal cancer diagnoses in age groups eligible for cancer screening programmes. Forthcoming research is warranted to assess whether the decreased diagnostic scrutiny of cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in stage migration and altered clinical management, as well as poorer outcomes