Incidence and survival of adult cancer patients in Taiwan, 2002–2012

• Main Authors: Chun-Ju Chiang, Wei-Cheng Lo, Ya-Wen Yang, San-Lin You, Chien-Jen Chen, Mei-Shu Lai
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2016-12-01
• Series: Journal of the Formosan Medical Association
• Subjects: average annual percentage change of incidence; cancer; population-based cancer registry; relative survival; Taiwan
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0929664615003496

Little is known about the annual changes in cancer incidence and survival that occurred after the establishment of the long-form cancer registry database in Taiwan. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the updated incidence and stage-specific relative survival rates (RSRs) among adult cancer patients in Taiwan. Methods: Cancer incidence data from 2002 to 2012 were collected using the Taiwan Cancer Registry Database. Age-standardized incidence rates, average annual percent changes (AAPCs), and sex ratios were calculated for adults. Five-year stage-specific RSRs were estimated for cases diagnosed between 2004 and 2008 and were followed up to 2013 for major cancers. Results: The overall age-standardized incidence rates per 100,000 populations increased from 348.39 in 2002 to 401.18 in 2012, and the AAPC was 1.7% (p < 0.05), whereas the male:female ratio was approximately 1:3 during the entire period. Most cancer sites showed a trend of increasing incidence, with the exception of common cancers such as cervix uteri (AAPC = −6.2%, p < 0.05), bladder (AAPC = −2.5%, p < 0.05), stomach (AAPC = −2.4%, p < 0.05), nasopharynx (AAPC = −1.2%, p < 0.05), and liver (AAPC = −1.1%, p < 0.05). The 5-year RSRs for Stage I cancers were greater than 93% for the colon and rectum, female breast, and cervix uteri, whereas RSRs for patients with Stage IV cancers ranged from 2.9% to 38.9%, with patients with liver cancer and those with oral cancer showing the lowest and highest RSRs, respectively. Conclusion: Our study showed increased incidence in most cancers and provided baseline estimates of stage-specific RSRs among the Taiwanese adult population. Continuous surveillance may help politicians to improve health policies and cancer care in Taiwan.