Treatment Patterns and Postoperative Activities of Daily Living in Patients with Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: A Retrospective Study Using Nationwide Health Services Utilization Data in Japan.

BACKGROUND: The number of older patients with cancer has been increasing. This study aimed to determine the proportion of postoperative decline in activities of daily living (ADL), hospital mortality rate, home healthcare services use, and adjuvant chemotherapy treatment patterns of patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) across age groups. METHODS: We analyzed health service utilization data of patients aged ≥ 40 years diagnosed with clinical stage I or II NSCLC in 2015 who underwent thoracoscopy or thoracotomy. The Barthel index was used to determine the proportions of patients aged 40-64, 65-74, ≥ 75 years who experienced a decline in the ADL of ≥ 10 points at postoperative discharge compared to the ADL at admission. RESULTS: Overall, 19,780 patients were analyzed. The proportion of patients with ADL decline slightly increased with increasing age: 1.1%, 1.6%, and 3.5% after thoracoscopic surgery, and 1.4%, 2.8%, and 4.8% after thoracotomy among those aged 40-64, 65-74, and ≥ 75 years, respectively. The hospital mortality rate and proportion of home healthcare services use was fewer than 10 cases, or < 2%. The unexpected readmission rate was slightly higher among those aged ≥ 75 years (3.7% for thoracoscopic surgery, 4.7% for thoracotomy) than among those aged 40-64 years (1.8% for thoracoscopic surgery, 2.5% for thoracotomy). CONCLUSION: The difference in the proportion of patients with ADL decline between those aged 40-64 and ≥ 75 years was approximately 3%. This study provides practical information for clinicians involved in the care of older patients who undergo thoracic surgery.

Adult genitourinary sarcoma: analysis using hospital-based cancer registry data in Japan.

BACKGROUND: Genitourinary sarcomas are rare in adults and few large-scale studies on adult genitourinary sarcoma are reported. We aimed to elucidate the clinical characteristics, survival outcomes, and prognostic factors for overall survival of adult genitourinary sarcoma in Japan. METHODS: A hospital-based cancer registry data in Japan was used to identify and enroll patients diagnosed with genitourinary sarcoma in 2013. The datasets were registered from 121 institutions. RESULTS: A total of 116 men and 39 women were included, with a median age of 66 years. The most common primary site was the kidney in 47 patients, followed by the paratestis in 36 patients. The most common histological type was liposarcoma in 54 patients, followed by leiomyosarcoma in 25 patients. The 5-year overall survival rates were 57.6%. On univariate analysis, male gender, paratestis as primary organ, and histological subtype of liposarcoma were predictive of favorable survival while primary kidney, bladder, or prostate gland location were predictive of unfavorable survival. On multivariate analysis, primary paratestis was an independent predictor of favorable survival while primary kidney, bladder, or prostate gland were independent predictors of unfavorable survival. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report showing the clinical characteristics and survival outcomes of adult genitourinary sarcoma in Japan using a real-world large cohort database.

Retroperitoneal sarcoma: a 10-year follow-up analysis using hospital-based cancer registry data in Japan.

OBJECTIVES: We sought clinical characteristics, survival outcomes, and prognostic factors for overall survival of retroperitoneal sarcoma in Japan. METHODS: A Japanese hospital-based cancer registry database with a pivotal 10-year follow-up was used to identify and enroll patients, registered from 106 institutions, diagnosed with retroperitoneal sarcoma in 2008-2009. Treating hospitals were divided by hospital care volume; high-volume hospitals and low-volume hospitals were defined as ≥ 4 and < 4 cases/year, respectively. RESULTS: A total of 91 men and 97 women were included, with a median age of 64 years. The most common histological type was liposarcoma in 101 patients, followed by leiomyosarcoma in 38 patients. The 5-year and 10-year overall survival rates were 44.1 and 28.3%. The majority of patients (n = 152, 80.9%) were treated at low-volume hospitals. High-volume hospital patients had higher 10-year overall survival rates than low-volume hospital patients (51.2% vs 23.2%, P = 0.026). Multivariate analysis revealed age over 60 years, treatment in low-volume hospitals and chemotherapy were independent predictors of unfavorable survival while treatment with surgery was an independent predictor of favorable survival. CONCLUSIONS: The possibility of surgical removal was suggested to be the most important prognostic factor for retroperitoneal sarcoma. Better survival was shown in patients treated at high-volume hospitals in our series.

The prognostic impact of treatment centralization in patients with testicular germ cell tumors: analysis of hospital-based cancer registry data in Japan.

BACKGROUND: To identify the prognostic impact of treatment centralization in patients with testicular germ cell tumors (TGCT). METHODS: We used a hospital-based cancer registry data in Japan to extract seminoma and non-seminoma cases that were diagnosed in 2013, histologically confirmed, and received the first course of treatment. To compare the 5-years overall survival (OS) rates of patients stratified by institutional care volume, we performed a Cox proportional hazards regression analysis using inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) method to adjust patient backgrounds. RESULTS: A total of 1767 TGCT patients were identified. The 5-years OS rates for stage II and III TGCT patients treated at low-volume institutions (< 7 cases) were significantly worse than high-volume institutions (≥ 7 cases) (91.2% vs. 83.4%, p = 0.012). Histological stratification revealed that 5-year OS rates for stage II and III seminoma patients in the low-volume group were significantly worse than the high-volume group (93.5% vs. 84.5%, p = 0.041). Multivariate OS analysis using an IPTW-matched cohort showed that institutional care volume was an independent prognostic factor (hazard ratio 2.13 [95% confidence interval: 1.23-3.71], p = 0.0072). CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that stage II and III TGCT patients experience lower survival rates at low-volume institutions and would benefit from treatment centralization.

2023 Japan Society of clinical oncology clinical practice guidelines update for antiemesis.

BACKGROUND: The Japan Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guidelines for Antiemesis 2023 was extensively revised to reflect the latest advances in antineoplastic agents, antiemetics, and antineoplastic regimens. This update provides new evidence on the efficacy of antiemetic regimens. METHODS: Guided by the Minds Clinical Practice Guideline Development Manual of 2017, a rigorous approach was used to update the guidelines; a thorough literature search was conducted from January 1, 1990, to December 31, 2020. RESULTS: Comprehensive process resulted in the creation of 13 background questions (BQs), 12 clinical questions (CQs), and three future research questions (FQs). Moreover, the emetic risk classification was also updated. CONCLUSIONS: The primary goal of the present guidelines is to provide comprehensive information and facilitate informed decision-making, regarding antiemetic therapy, for both patients and healthcare providers.

Non-pharmacological treatments for anticipatory nausea and vomiting during chemotherapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the Clinical Practice Guidelines for Antiemesis 2023.

BACKGROUND: Anticipatory chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is a conditioned response influenced by the severity and duration of previous emetic responses to chemotherapy. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of non-pharmacologic interventions for anticipatory CINV among patients with cancer. METHODS: We conducted a systematic search in databases, including PubMed, the Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and Ichushi-Web, from January 1, 1990, to December 31, 2020. Randomized controlled trials, non-randomized designs, observational studies, or case-control studies that utilized non-pharmacological therapies were included. The primary outcomes were anticipatory CINV, with an additional investigation into adverse events and the costs of therapies. The risk-of-bias for each study was assessed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool, and meta-analysis was performed using Revman 5.4 software. RESULTS: Of the 107 studies identified, six met the inclusion criteria. Three types of non-pharmacological treatments were identified: systematic desensitization (n = 2), hypnotherapy (n = 2), and yoga therapy (n = 2). Among them, systematic desensitization significantly improved anticipatory CINV as compared to that in the control group (nausea: risk ratio [RR] = 0.60, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.49-0.72, p < 0.00001; vomiting: RR = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.32-0.91, p = 0.02). However, heterogeneity in outcome measures precluded meta-analysis for hypnotherapy and yoga. Additionally, most selected studies had a high or unclear risk of bias, and adverse events were not consistently reported. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that systematic desensitization may effectively reduce anticipatory CINV. However, further research is warranted before implementation in clinical settings.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the diagnosis of cancer in Japan: analysis of hospital-based cancer registries.

BACKGROUND: There is significant concern that cancer care is adversely impacted due to the coronavirus disease pandemic. Using the national database, we document the impact of the pandemic on cancer diagnosis in Japan. METHODS: Data from 735 hospital-based cancer registries, covering >70% of newly diagnosed cases, were analysed. We compared trends during 2016-2019 and those in 2020 by the type of cancer, diagnostic process, stage and 13 prefectures as requiring special precautions to prevent the spread of infection. RESULTS: Overall, the number of patients who began treatment decreased by 1.9% in 2020 as compared with the average number during 2016-2019. A sharp decline of 13.8% was observed for stomach cases. The decline in cases (22.0% decrease for all cancers) was more pronounced in May. Cancer screening and resulting detection decreased significantly in 2020 (8.1-24.3%). Case registrations of stage I and II gastric cancer, stage II intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, stage II oesophageal cancer, stage 0 and I laryngeal cancer and stage II gallbladder cancer decreased by >10% compared with those in 2018 and 2019. The trends in cancer cases by area of residence indicated a decline in 13 prefectures in May 2020 compared with other areas. CONCLUSIONS: The number of cancer diagnoses decreased during the year 2020 under coronavirus pandemic, especially right after the Japanese government declared the first state of emergency in April. We need to carefully observe the consequences of these decrease in diagnosis, or perhaps the delay in care, on patient survival or population mortality.

Certified nurse specialists in cancer nursing and prophylactic antiemetic prescription for chemotherapy patients.

PURPOSE: The prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV), a common chemotherapy side effect, should be attempted by oncology nurses. Certified nurses could be certified nurse specialists in cancer nursing (CNSCNs), who have high-level graduate education, or certified nurses in cancer chemotherapy nursing (CNCCNs), who have short-term training. The relationship between these certifications and compliance with the CINV prevention guidelines has not been investigated. We aimed to evaluate the association between certified nurse staffing and prescription of prophylactic antiemetic drugs for chemotherapy patients with high emetic risk. METHODS: We used health service utilisation data for cancer patients diagnosed in 2016 from 474 hospitals nationwide in Japan and a list of certified nurses published by the Japanese Nurse Association. Patients receiving highly emetic chemotherapy were included. A multilevel mixed-effect logistic regression analysis was conducted to estimate the prescription of prophylactic antiemetic drugs associated with CNSCN and/or CNCCN staffing. RESULTS: Data of 46,306 patients were analysed. Overall, 68.4% and 94.0% of the patients received chemotherapy at hospitals with CNSCNs and CNCCNs, respectively. Small cell lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, breast cancer, and oesophageal cancer were positively associated with the prescription of recommended antiemetic drugs. CNSCNs was significantly associated with the prescription of prophylactic antiemetic drugs, while CNCCNs was positively but non-significantly associated with antiemetic prescriptions. CONCLUSION: This study is the first to demonstrate that CNSCN placement was significantly associated with prescribing antiemetic drugs recommended by clinical guidelines. Patients are likely to receive appropriate supportive care with the proper placement of CNSCNs.

Clinicopathological features of adrenal malignancies: Analysis of hospital-based cancer registry data in Japan.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the clinicopathological features of adrenal malignancies and analyze the prognoses of patients with adrenal cortical carcinoma (ACC) and malignant pheochromocytoma (MPCC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We used a hospital-based cancer registry data in Japan to extract cases of adrenal malignancies that were histologically confirmed, diagnosed, and initially treated from 2012-2015. For survival analysis, we used data from the 2008-2009 cohort to estimate 5-year overall survival (OS) by the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: A total of 989 adrenal malignancies were identified in the 2012-2015 cohort. The most common histologies were ACC (26.4%), diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL; 25.4%), neuroblastoma (22.2%), and MPCC (11.9%). While most ACC and MPCC patients were in their 60s, DLBCL patients accounted for 61.5% of adrenal malignancies in the over-70 cohort. Among ACC patients with clinical staging data, 46.3% of patients were stage IV. Although surgery was a chief strategy for all stages, younger patients tended to receive combination therapy, including surgery and chemotherapy or hormone therapy. In the 2008-2009 cohort, the 5-year OS rates of ACC (n = 49) and MPCC (n = 23) patients were 56.2% and 86.4% while ACC patients without surgery had 1- and 2-year OS rates of 25.0% and 12.5%. CONCLUSION: In Japan, DLBCL accounted for the majority of adrenal malignancies in older patients. Despite advanced staging, ACC patients were mainly treated with surgery and their prognosis was not satisfactory. Such epidemiological data may be useful in considering initial management strategies.

Coverage of the hospital-based cancer registries and the designated cancer care hospitals in Japan.

BACKGROUND: Hospital-based cancer registries were developed to describe and improve clinical care for cancer patients. We described the hospital-based cancer registry coverage as a reference for the users, including researchers, policymakers and clinicians. METHODS: The hospital-based cancer registry coverage was defined as the proportion of new cases registered in the hospital-based cancer registry to the National Cancer Registry as the denominator. To examine the coverage of respective cancer types, age groups and prefecture in the hospital-based cancer registry, cases were grouped based on the 10th International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems and were compared with the published report of the National Cancer Registry in 2017. RESULTS: The overall hospital-based cancer registries coverage was 71.7%, and 52.5% of patients were treated at designated cancer care hospitals. The hospital-based cancer registries coverage and treatment rates at designated cancer care hospitals varied per cancer type, age group, and prefecture. The hospital-based cancer registries covered over 80% of the patients with cancers of the larynx, uterus, oesophagus, lip, oral cavity, pharynx and skin, whereas patients' coverage with thyroid cancer was relatively low. The hospital-based cancer registry coverage of young patients (<15 years) was >80%, whereas that for elderly patients (≥85 years) was <55%. The range of coverage in each prefecture was from 43.0 to 89.7%. Over 70% of the patients with cancers of the larynx, lip, oral cavity and pharynx were treated at designated cancer care hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: The hospital-based cancer registry coverage is ~70% of all cancers. Because the coverage differed across cancers and age groups, the respective target groups' analysis should consider this factor.

Optimizing antiemetic treatment for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in Japan: Update summary of the 2015 Japan Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guidelines for Antiemesis.

Patients with cancer should appropriately receive antiemetic therapies against chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). Antiemetic guidelines play an important role in managing CINV. Accordingly, the first Japanese antiemetic guideline published in 2010 by the Japan Society of Clinical Oncology (JSCO) has considerably aided Japanese medical staff in providing antiemetic therapies across chemotherapy clinics. With the yearly advancements in antiemetic therapies, the Japanese antiemetic guidelines require revisions according to published evidence regarding antiemetic management worldwide. A revised version of the first antiemetic guideline that considered several upcoming evidences had been published online in 2014 (version 1.2), in which several updated descriptions were included. The 2015 JSCO clinical practice guideline for antiemesis (version 2.0) (in Japanese) has addressed clinical antiemetic concerns and includes four major revisions regarding (1) changes in emetogenic risk categorization for anti-cancer agents, (2) olanzapine usage as an antiemetic drug, (3) the steroid-sparing method, and (4) adverse drug reactions of antiemetic agents. We herein present an English update summary for the 2015 JSCO clinical practice guideline for antiemesis (version 2.0).

Discrepancy between clinical and pathological T stages in upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma: Analysis of the Hospital-Based Cancer Registry data in Japan.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the discrepancy between clinical and pathological T stages in patients with urothelial carcinoma of the upper urinary tract treated with radical surgery, and to compare them with the corresponding discrepancy in urothelial carcinoma of the bladder. METHODS: We used the Hospital-Based Cancer Registry data in Japan to extract urothelial carcinoma of the bladder cases (n = 3747) and urothelial carcinoma of the upper urinary tract cases (n = 6831), including urothelial carcinoma of the renal pelvis (n = 3295) and urothelial carcinoma of the ureter (n = 3536) with cT1-4N0M0 diagnosed in 2012-2015, histologically confirmed, and treated with radical surgery without chemotherapy or radiotherapy. We compared the T-stage discrepancy among different tumor locations. RESULTS: The proportions of overall T-stage discrepancy in the urothelial carcinoma of the renal pelvis (40.8%) and urothelial carcinoma of the ureter (42.9%) groups tended to be higher compared with that in the urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (38.8%) group. The upstaging rate from clinical non-muscle-invasive cancer (≤cT1) to pathological muscle-invasive cancer (≥pT2) was significantly higher in the urothelial carcinoma of the renal pelvis and urothelial carcinoma of the ureter groups compared with the urothelial carcinoma of the bladder group (P = 0.002, P < 0.0001, respectively). Upstaging from clinical organ-confined disease (≤cT2) to pathological non-organ-confined disease (≥pT3) was significantly more frequent in the urothelial carcinoma of the renal pelvis (27.8%, P < 0.0001) and urothelial carcinoma of the ureter (22.3%, P < 0.0001) groups compared with the urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (17.8%) group. CONCLUSION: Discrepancy in T staging is significantly higher in patients with urothelial carcinoma of the upper urinary tract compared with those with urothelial carcinoma of the bladder, especially in those with organ-confined disease. As T-stage discrepancy might lead to missed opportunities to carry out perioperative treatment, more accurate diagnostic techniques are required to identify the appropriate urothelial carcinoma candidates for preoperative treatment.

Prognostic impact of non-urothelial carcinoma of the upper urinary tract: Analysis of hospital-based cancer registry data in Japan.

OBJECTIVES: To identify the prognosis of patients with non-urothelial carcinoma of the upper urinary tract and compare it with that of patients with urothelial carcinoma. METHODS: We used hospital-based cancer registry data in Japan to extract histologically confirmed non-urothelial carcinoma and urothelial carcinoma cases of the upper urinary tract diagnosed in 2008-2009. We estimated the 5-year overall survival by a Kaplan-Meier analysis. The Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to evaluate prognostic factors. RESULTS: A total of 2567 upper urinary tract cancer patients with confirmed histological subtypes were identified. The most common histology of non-urothelial carcinoma was squamous cell carcinoma (n = 88, 3.4%) followed by adenocarcinoma (n = 33, 1.3%) and small cell carcinoma (n = 10, 0.4%). The proportion of advanced stage in the squamous cell carcinoma patients was significantly higher than that in the urothelial carcinoma patients (P = 0.003). In stage IV, the proportion of patients who received a combination of surgery + chemotherapy in the urothelial carcinoma group was higher than that in the non-urothelial carcinoma group (34% vs 16%, respectively). The 5-year overall survival rates of the non-urothelial carcinoma patients at stages I-III and stage IV were significantly worse than those of the urothelial carcinoma patients (P = 0.003, P < 0.001, respectively). In multivariate analyses, age ≥73 years, advanced stage (stage IV), tumor location (ureter) and the presence of non-urothelial carcinoma histology were independent poor prognosis factors. CONCLUSION: The prognosis of non-urothelial carcinoma patients is worse than that of urothelial carcinoma patients, especially for non-urothelial carcinoma patients at stage IV. More effective systemic therapies are required to improve these patients' oncological outcomes.

Prognostic significance of non-urothelial carcinoma of bladder: analysis of nationwide hospital-based cancer registry data in Japan.

OBJECTIVES: To identify the prognosis of pure non-urothelial carcinoma (non-UC) of bladder and to compare them with those of pure urothelial carcinoma (UC). METHODS: We used Japan's nationwide hospital-based cancer registry data to extract histologically confirmed pure non-UC and UC cases of bladder diagnosed in 2008-2009. We estimated the 5-year overall survival (OS) by a Kaplan-Meier analysis. RESULTS: A total of 8094 patients with confirmed histological subtypes of bladder cancer were identified. The most common pure non-UC was squamous cell carcinoma (SQ, n = 192, 2.4%) followed by adenocarcinoma (AC, n = 138, 1.7%) and small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (SmC, n = 54, 0.7%). The proportion of female patients (48%) was significantly higher in the SQ group compared with the pure UC group (P < 0.001). The 5-year OS rate of the non-UC patients was significantly worse than that of the UC patients (40 vs. 61%, P < 0.001). According to stages, the 5-year OS rates of the stage I and III non-UC patients were significantly worse than those of the UC patients (P = 0.001). Considering histologic subtypes and stages, the 5-year OS rates of the stage I SQ patients were worse than those of the AC and SmC patients (46, 68 and 64%, respectively). CONCLUSION: The prognosis of pure non-UC was worse than that of pure UC, especially in the stage I and III non-UC patients. To improve these patients' oncologic outcomes, a more aggressive surgical approach may be necessary in stage I patients with non-UC, especially in pure SQ.

Recent malignant testicular tumor trend in Japan, a country with an aging population: a large-scale study of 2012-2015 hospital-based cancer registry data.

OBJECTIVE: Japan's national database of hospital-based cancer registries is estimated to cover ~67% of all new cancer cases. Using this database, we analyzed the characteristics of the recently diagnosed testicular malignancy. METHODS: We obtained data for 6510 adult testicular malignancy patients diagnosed in 2012-2015. The distributions of patient ages, histological diagnoses and testicular germ cell tumor hospital care volumes were determined. RESULTS: The most common histology was seminoma (60.3% of all testicular malignancies), followed by non-seminoma (24.1%) and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (13.1%). The median and mean ages of the testicular germ cell tumor patients were high at 38 and 39.8 years, respectively. The age distribution peaked at 30-40 years, followed by 40-50 years. Approximately 18% of testicular germ cell tumor patients were ≥50 years. The ages of the diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients peaked at 70-80 years (mean 67.7 years). When the analysis was limited to the testicular germ cell tumor patients who received first-course cancer treatment at the participating hospitals, the number of high-volume hospitals with ≥20 testicular germ cell tumor care volume was limited to 61 (10.0% of the 605 hospitals that treated ≥1 testicular germ cell tumor patient). However, when the patients who changed hospitals during treatment or relapsed after treatment completion were analyzed together, the number of high-volume hospitals increased to 104 (17.0% of 612 hospitals). CONCLUSION: The testicular germ cell tumor patients' mean age was nearly 40 years. The proportions of older testicular germ cell tumor patients and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients were higher than previously thought. The reasons for this trend are unknown, but it is important to address the trend identified herein in a country with a super-aging population.

Impact of centralization in primary retroperitoneal sarcoma treatment: analysis using hospital-based cancer registry data in Japan.

BACKGROUND: To elucidate the clinicopathological features, hospital-based care volume and prognoses associated with primary retroperitoneal sarcoma (PRS). METHODS: Clinical data on PRS cases, diagnosed from 2008 to 2009 (cohort A) and from 2012 to 2015 (cohort B), were obtained from the national hospital-based cancer registry in Japan. Since data on survival, 5 years after PRS diagnosis, were available only for cohort A, patient prognoses were analyzed in this group alone. RESULTS: The numbers of participating hospitals were 154 in cohort A and 537 in cohort B. In total, 380 and 2011 patients with PRS were identified in cohorts A and B, respectively. The incidence of PRS among all the registered urogenital malignancies was 0.52% (2391/462,866). Liposarcoma was the most commonly observed PRS subtype (55.8%), followed by leiomyosarcoma (19.0%). In cohort A, the 5-year overall survival (OS) was 40.4%. The 5-year OS associated with stage I (n = 107), stages II and III (n = 61), and stage IV (n = 59) disease were 59%, 39%, and 6%, respectively. Only two institutions treated over ten patients per year in each cohort. When institutions were divided by hospital care volume (8 hospitals with ≥ = 3 cases and 149 with < 3 cases/year), there were any statistic differences in the OS. CONCLUSIONS: We presented the distribution and prognoses associated with PRS using a real-world large cohort database. Centralization for PRS management was not established in Japan, while the prognosis did not significantly depend on the treatment volume of hospitals.

Characteristics of penile cancer in Japan: An analysis of nationwide hospital-based cancer registry data.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinical characteristics of patients with penile cancer in Japan using the nationwide hospital-based cancer registry database. METHODS: Using hospital-based cancer registry data, we described the distribution of age, pathology, tumor-node-metastases classification, and first-course treatment in patients treated between 2012 and 2015. We compared the patterns of first-line treatment between elderly and non-elderly patients. RESULTS: A total of 1012 patients were diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma among 1773 patients with penile tumors who registered under topography code C60. The median age at diagnosis was 74 years, and 85.9% of patients were aged >60 years. The most common pathology was usual-type squamous cell carcinoma (91.9%), followed by verrucous carcinoma (5.0%), sarcomatoid carcinoma (1.1%), papillary carcinoma (0.7%), basaloid carcinoma (0.6%), adenosquamous carcinoma (0.4%), warty carcinoma (0.2%) and mixed carcinoma (0.1%). A total of 61.3% of patients were diagnosed with localized disease. In contrast, the proportions of patients with lymph node and distant metastases were 27.5% and 2.1% at diagnosis, respectively. The proportion of patients who were treated with chemotherapy as the first-course treatment was significantly lower among elderly patients (≥80 years) with clinical stage III (27.6% vs 7.1%, P = 0.0312) and clinical stage IV (53.2% vs 14.3%, P = 0.0086). CONCLUSIONS: Most penile cancer patients in Japan are diagnosed with usual-type squamous cell carcinoma, and those with human papilloma virus-related squamous cell carcinomas are <1%. Chemotherapy for advanced penile cancer is administered less in Japanese elderly (≥80 years) patients.

Clinicopathological features of malignant urachal tumor: A hospital-based cancer registry data in Japan.

OBJECTIVES: To identify the clinicopathological features of malignant urachal tumor in Japan, and analyze the 5-year overall survival of malignant urachal tumor patients. METHODS: We used the hospital-based cancer registry data to extract malignant urachal tumor cases that were diagnosed in 2008-2009 and 2012-2015, histologically confirmed, and received the first course of treatment. We analyzed the 5-year overall survival using the 2008-2009 cohort's data. RESULTS: We identified 456 patients, and malignant urachal tumor accounted for 0.4% of all malignant bladder cancers. The median age was 61 years (range 2-97), and 66% were men. The most common histology was adenocarcinoma (80%), followed by urothelial carcinoma (11%) and squamous cell carcinoma (3%). The proportions of patients were: 19% Ta/Tis/T1N0M0, 55% T2-3N0M0, 13% T4/N+ and 13% M+. Regarding the initial treatment, the proportions of surgery alone were 79% and 33% in cases of T3 or less N0M0 and T4/N+, respectively. The proportion of combination therapy including surgery and chemotherapy were 13% and 44% in T2-3N0M0 and T4/N+, respectively. Radiation therapy was not common at any stage. In the 2008-2009 cohort, the 5-year overall survival rate in Ta/Tis/T1N0M0, T2-3N0M0, T4/N+ and M+ were 60%, 64%, 63% and 12%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Malignant urachal tumors are quite rare in Japan, and most of those without metastasis are likely to be treated by surgery alone, even at advanced stages. A standard of care must be established for malignant urachal tumor patients at advanced stages or with metastasis, as the prognosis of these patients can be poor.

Patterns of cancer treatment in different age groups in Japan: an analysis of hospital-based cancer registry data, 2012-2015.

BACKGROUND: Because of the physiological decline and the diversity of preferences, treating older patients with cancer is challenging. Given the insufficient evidence applicable to treating cancer in older patients, some clinical guidance is necessary. This study provides a description of current treatment practices in Japan, which may shed light on possible treatment options. METHODS: Using data from the national database of hospital-based cancer registries, we described the first-course treatment of nine common cancers in patients who received care in Designated Cancer Care Hospitals between 2012 and 2015. We compared the patterns of first-course cancer treatment between younger and older patients. RESULTS: In total, 1 383 066 cases were analysed. The proportion of patients aged >75 years receiving first-course treatment has gradually increased since 2012 (range: 0.9% point increase for colorectal cancer to 2.7% point increase for stomach cancer). A higher proportion of patients aged ≥85 years, compared with younger patients, did not receive any treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Based on this cancer registry-based analysis, older patients-in particular those ≥85 years old at diagnosis and with advanced stage cancer-are less likely to receive anti-cancer treatment than younger patents are. Further research is warranted to identify patient characteristics that predict which older patients are most likely to benefit from active treatment.

Critical Points for Interpreting Patients' Survival Rate Using Cancer Registries: A Literature Review.

BACKGROUND: Survival rate is used to develop cancer control plans. However, there are limitations and biases when interpreting patient survival rate data. This study aimed to identify and account for potential biases and/or limitations on estimating survival rate to enable more effective control of cancer. METHODS: The authors searched PubMed from December 2010 to December 2015 for articles that investigated or described biases in estimating patient survival using cancer registries. Articles that only described the tendency of survival rate and investigated relationships between patient characteristics, treatment, and survival rate were excluded. RESULTS: In total, 50 articles met the inclusion criteria. The identified potential biases were categorized into three areas, as follows: 1) the quality of registry data (eg, the completeness of cancer patients, accuracy of data, and follow-up rates); 2) limitations related to estimated methods of survival rates (eg, misclassification of cause of death for cause-specific survival rate or a lack of comparability of background mortality for relative survival rate); and 3) the comparability of survival rates among different groups (eg, age-adjustment or patients with multiple cancers). CONCLUSION: We concluded that survival rate can be suitable for answering questions related to health policy and research. Several factors should be considered when interpreting survival rates estimated using cancer registries.