Regression calibration of self-reported mobile phone use to optimize quantitative risk estimation in the COSMOS study.

The Cohort Study of Mobile Phone Use and Health (COSMOS) has repeatedly collected self-reported and operator-recorded data on mobile phone use. Assessing health effects using self-reported information is prone to measurement error, but operator data were available prospectively for only part of the study population and did not cover past mobile phone use. To optimize the available data and reduce bias, we evaluated different statistical approaches for constructing mobile phone exposure histories within COSMOS. We evaluated and compared the performance of four regression calibration (RC) methods (simple, direct, inverse, and generalized additive model for location, shape, and scale), complete-case (CC) analysis and multiple imputation (MI) in a simulation study with a binary health outcome. We used self-reported and operator-recorded mobile phone call data collected at baseline (2007-2012) from participants in Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the UK. Parameter estimates obtained using simple, direct, and inverse RC methods were associated with less bias and lower mean squared error than those obtained with CC analysis or MI. We showed that RC methods resulted in more accurate estimation of the relation between mobile phone use and health outcomes, by combining self-reported data with objective operator-recorded data available for a subset of participants.

Similar effectiveness with primary HPV and cytology screening - Long-term follow-up of randomized cervical cancer screening trial.

BACKGROUND: Long-term effects of primary human papillomavirus (HPV) screening on cervical cancer incidence and mortality are still missing. We conducted a long-term follow-up of the Finnish randomized HPV screening trial, the first HPV screening trial run within the routine screening program, to assess these measures. METHODS: During 2003-2008, over 236,000 individuals were randomized (1:1) to HPV and cytology screening arms in Southern Finland. To compare the study arms, we calculated the cervical cancer incidence and mortality rate ratios using Poisson regression. RESULTS: During a total of 3.5 million person-years of follow-up, we observed 129 cervical cancers and 32 cervical cancer deaths in the cytology arm, 139 cervical cancers and 32 cervical cancer deaths in the HPV arm. Compared to the cytology arm, in the HPV arm, the incidence rate ratio was 1.08 (95% CI 0.85-1.37), and the mortality rate ratio was 1.01 (95% CI 0.61-1.64). CONCLUSIONS: We studied the effects of HPV screening on both cervical cancer incidence and mortality for the first time in a setting with an already well-established, high-quality cytology screening program. In this kind of setting with a low incidence of cervical cancer, HPV and cytology screening showed similar effectiveness. HPV screening provides, however, an objective, validated test system and enables self-sampling which can improve screening coverage. More attention is needed yet to ensure the balance between the harms and benefits of HPV screening.

Lower incidence of vaginal cancer after cervical human papillomavirus screening - long-term follow-up of Finnish randomized screening trial.

OBJECTIVE: Around 70% of vaginal cancers and 40-50% of vulvar cancers are attributable to human papillomavirus (HPV). Globally the burden of these diseases is estimated to grow due to the increasing HPV prevalence and rapidly aging global population. We aimed to examine if HPV screening for cervical cancer has an additional beneficial effect in preventing vaginal and vulvar cancers. To assess this, we used long-term follow-up data from the Finnish randomized HPV screening trial. METHODS: Between 2003 and 2008, over 236,000 women were individually randomized (1:1) to primary HPV or cytology screening in Southern Finland. We followed this cohort up to the year 2020. To compare the study arms, we calculated site-specific and pooled incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and mortality rate ratios (MRRs) for vaginal and vulvar cancers using Poisson regression. RESULTS: During 3,5 million person-years of follow-up, the IRR for vaginal cancer in the HPV arm compared to the cytology arm was 0.40 (95% CI 0.17-0.88) and the corresponding MRR was 0.74 (95% 0.21-2.24). The corresponding IRR for vulvar cancer was 0.73 (95% 0.50-1.08) and the MRR was 0.64 (95% 0.23-1.62). The pooled IRR was 0.67 (95% 0.47 ̶ 0.95) and MRR 0.67 (95% 0.31 ̶ 1.37). CONCLUSION: We found lower incidence of vaginal cancers with HPV screening compared to cytology screening. To validate our results, we recommend analyzing data on vaginal and vulvar cancers also from other HPV screening studies.

Divergent effects of switching from cytology to HPV-based screening in the Nordic countries.

BACKGROUND: Cervical cytology has been the primary method of cervical cancer screening for decades. Tests that detect viral HPV are shown in several randomized trials to provide better protection against cancer compared with cytology. HPV-based screening has been implemented alongside cytology in the Nordic countries for several years. The aim of this study was to compare cytology and HPV-based screening in the colposcopy referrals and detection rates of cervical lesions. METHODS: Individual-level screening data from Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden were harmonized and aggregated locally. We utilized data for tests taken during years 2015-17 and biopsies taken during years 2015-19 to allow 24 months of follow-up. Age-standardized estimates and age-adjusted risk ratios for six different outcomes of screening management were calculated. RESULTS: The age-standardized colposcopy rates were higher in HPV-based testing compared with cytology in Finland (3.5% vs. 0.9%) and Norway (6.0% vs. 4.1%) but lower in Sweden (3.7% vs. 4.9%). The relative detection rate of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 and above in HPV-based testing compared with cytology was highest in Finland (RR 2.37, 95% CI 2.13-2.63) and Norway (RR 1.66, 95% CI 1.57-1.72) while in Sweden the difference was not statistically significant (RR 0.98, 95% CI 0.95-1.00). CONCLUSIONS: The effects of implementing HPV screening varied by country as different screening algorithms were implemented. HPV-based screening increases colposcopy rates mainly through referrals from increased repeat testing and detection rate is therefore significantly higher compared with cytology. Monitoring of these indicators in subsequent rounds of HPV-based screening remains essential.

A population-based cohort study on changes in breast, lung and colorectal cancer incidence and mortality among non-Western immigrant women.

BACKGROUND: Cancer risk varies geographically, and migrants are influenced by different risk factors before, during and after migration. Increased migration from non-Western countries to the Nordic countries calls for a better understanding of the migrants' cancer risk and the change in risk patterns over time. The aim of this study was to compare the incidence and mortality of breast, colorectal and lung cancer between non-Western immigrant and the native female population in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Norway. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data from national registries were processed and pre-analysed in each country. Multivariate Poisson regression models were used to model the relative differences in incidence and mortality as rate ratios (RR). The country-specific estimates and summary statistics were pooled together using a random effects model. RESULTS: Non-Western immigrant women had significantly lower breast (RR 0.71, 0.65-0.78), colorectal (RR 0.72, 0.57-0.92) and lung (RR 0.55, 0.42-0.72) cancer incidence rates than native women, and the risk of these cancers among immigrant women increased with duration of residence. Differences were parallel in breast, colorectal and lung cancer mortality (RR 0.64, 0.55-0.74; RR 0.66, 0.48-0.92; RR 0.51, 0.34-0.79). Among immigrant women, higher education increased the risk for breast cancer and decreased it for lung cancer. CONCLUSION: The results significantly complement and add to the previous findings of cancer burden and cancer burden transition among migrants and provide evidence of a prolonged cancer risk advantage among non-Western immigrant women. However, the findings show an increasing risk of lifestyle-related cancers with increasing duration of residence in the host country. Further studies are needed to discover underlying reasons for this phenomenon.

Cervical, liver and stomach cancer incidence and mortality in non-Western immigrant women: a retrospective cohort study from four Nordic countries.

BACKGROUND: Cervical, liver and stomach cancers are the most common infection-associated malignancies and the leading cause of morbidity in non-Western regions. We compared the incidence and mortality of these cancers between non-Western immigrant and non-immigrant Nordic female populations. We also analysed the effect of age at immigration, duration of residence and education on cancer burden. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Study population consisted of women residents in Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway in 1973-2020. Non-Western women contributed 3.1% of the total 260 million person-years at risk. All women were followed from their 20th birthday, or from the date of immigration if after, until the date of their first primary cancer diagnosis, death, emigration, or the end of the country-specific study period. All data were adjusted for 10-year age groups and calendar periods, and immigrant data was further broken down by region of birth, age at immigration and education level. Country-specific estimates were produced by multivariable Poisson regression and pooled in Finland with a random effects model. RESULTS: Altogether, there were 60 982 cases of cervical, liver and stomach cancer in the study population, causing 36 582 deaths. The immigrant women had significantly higher liver (rate ratio [RR] 1.78, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03-3.06) and stomach cancer incidence (RR 1.68, CI 1.29-2.18), and stomach cancer mortality (RR 1.49, CI 1.17-1.92) than non-immigrant women. In the immigrant population, high education was related to lower incidence and mortality of studied cancers. The rate ratio of cervical cancer decreased with duration of residence and increased with rising age at immigration. CONCLUSION: Due to the increased incidence and mortality of infection-related cancers and changes in cancer patterns by age at immigration and duration of residence, attention should be paid to targeted health care services for immigrants. Special efforts should be given to women who have spent their youth in high-risk areas.

Alternative cytology triage strategies for primary HPV screening.

OBJECTIVE: Primary HPV screening programmes for cervical cancer have been implemented in many European countries using a cytology triage. Nonetheless, the optimal cytology triage strategy for minimizing the harms and maximizing the benefits is yet unclear. We identified key characteristics of different algorithms for HPV screening with cytology triage. METHODS: Using the Finnish randomized HPV screening trial data, we formulated five post-hoc algorithms for HPV screening with a cytology triage, one for HPV screening without a triage and one for cytology screening. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, colposcopy referral rate and cumulative sensitivity for CIN II + s detected during the first and second screening rounds of the trial were calculated for all algorithms. RESULTS: In the first screening round, direct referral of HPV positives to colposcopy led to the highest sensitivity (94%) accompanied by the lowest specificity (93%). Following HPV positives up with one repeat screen showed 86% sensitivity and 97% specificity. The corresponding figures with two repeat screens were 84% and 98%. In HPV algorithms, where cytology negative HPV positive individuals had no follow-up, the sensitivities were 65-82% and the specificities 98-99%. The Cytology algorithm had a low sensitivity (69%) with a high specificity (99%). Compared to the first round, the second-round sensitivities were lower and specificities similar or higher. CONCLUSIONS: The best balance between sensitivity and specificity was achieved by an HPV algorithm with two repeated follow-up tests. However, all HPV algorithms with cytology triage increased colposcopy volume more than the cytology algorithm and thus provoked overdiagnosis.

What can We Learn From High-Performing Screening Programs to Increase Bowel Cancer Screening Participation in Australia?

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most diagnosed cancer in men and women and second most common cause of cancer death in Australia; Australia's CRC incidence and mortality are among the world's highest. The Australian National Bowel Cancer Screening Program began in 2006; however, only 33% of those approached for the first time by the Program between 2018 and 2019 returned the kit. Of the 5.7 million kits sent during this period, only 44% were returned. Our aim was to identify practices and features of national bowel cancer screening programs in countries with similar programs but higher screening participation, to identify potential interventions for optimising Australian CRC screening participation. METHODS: We searched published and grey literature for CRC screening programs reporting at least 50% screening participation using postal invitation and free return of iFOBT home kits. Interviews were conducted with cancer registry staff and academic researchers, focused on participant and practitioner engagement in screening. RESULTS: National programs in Netherlands, Scotland, Denmark, and Finland reported over 50% screening participation rates for all invitation rounds. Shared characteristics include small populations within small geographic areas relative to Australia; relatively high literacy; a one-sample iFOBT kit; national registration systems for population cancer screening research; and screening program research including randomised trials of program features. CONCLUSIONS: Apart from the one-sample kit, we identified no single solution to persistent Australian low uptake of screening. Research including randomised trials within the program promises to increase participation. IMPACT: This screening program comparison suggests that within-program intervention trials will lead to increased Australian screening participation.

Optimizing screening with faecal immunochemical test for both sexes - Cost-effectiveness analysis from Finland.

A faecal immunochemical test (FIT) screening pilot was introduced in Finland in 2019 with sex-specific screening strategies. This study aims to model cost-effectiveness of sex-specific strategies for the whole population, and to assess whether the current strategies are optimal. We developed separate MISCAN-Colon models, including different FIT performances, for the Finnish men and women using the first-year data of the FIT screening pilot. We evaluated 180 FIT strategies varying in FIT cut-off, screening interval, age to start, and age to stop screening, and compared them to no-screening by sex. We used incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) to identify the optimal strategy after combining all male and female strategies and restricting the analysis by costs and referral rate to diagnostic colonoscopies. Offering annual FIT screening with a cut-off of 25 µg/g at 50-79 years in men and with a cut-off of 10 µg/g at 55-69 years in women was optimal. This combined strategy prevented 28% of colorectal cancer (CRC) cases and 55% of CRC deaths with acceptable costs (ICER = 9000€/life-years gained). Screening at the current target age of 60-74 years was suboptimal for both sexes. Among strategies with the same target age and interval for both sexes, expected benefits from optimal screening were lower but still reasonable. Our results support a wider age range of screening in men, and a lower cut-off for a positive test in women when restrictions on colonoscopy capacity and costs are in place. National FIT screening program should start at younger age.

Setting the record straight-Correcting uterine cancer incidence and mortality in the Nordic countries by reallocation of unspecified cases.

INTRODUCTION: The incidence of and mortality from cancers of the cervix uteri and corpus uteri are underestimated if the presence of uterine cancers, where the exact topography (site of origin) is not specified, is omitted. In this paper we present the corrected figures on mortality from and incidence of cervix and corpus uteri cancers in the Nordic countries by reallocating unspecified uterine cancer deaths and cases to originate either from the corpus uteri or cervix uteri. To further validate the accuracy of reallocation, we also analyzed how well the reallocation captures the changes occurring as the result of a transition in cause of death coding in Norway that took place in 2005. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study uses data available in the NORDCAN database, which contains aggregated cancer data from all the Nordic countries for the years 1960-2016. The unspecified uterine cancer cases and deaths were reallocated to either cervix uteri or corpus uteri based on the estimated probability that follows the distribution of cases and deaths with verified topography. The estimated proportions of cases and deaths for both cancers were calculated for each combination of age group, year, and country as a proportion of cases (and deaths, respectively) with known topography. Annual age-standardized rates were calculated by direct age-adjustment. RESULTS: The proportions of unspecified uterine cancers were higher in the mortality data than in incidence data, with mean values for 1960-2016 ranging between 5.1% and 26.6% and between 0.2% and 6.8% by country, respectively. In the Nordic countries combined, the reallocation increased the number of cases by 4% and deaths by approximately 20% for both cancers. Finland was the only Nordic country where the mortality rate did not increase substantially after reallocation. CONCLUSIONS: The reallocation procedure had a significant impact on mortality from cancers of the cervix and corpus uteri for countries where the proportion of cancer deaths coded as uterus, not otherwise specified, is substantial. More effort to validate cause of death data with incidence data from cancer registries is warranted to avoid erroneous conclusions of temporal trends based on uncorrected cancer burden.

The potential of breast cancer screening in Europe.

Currently, all European countries offer some form of breast cancer screening. Nevertheless, disparities exist in the status of implementation, attendance and the extent of opportunistic screening. As a result, breast cancer screening has not yet reached its full potential. We examined how many breast cancer deaths could be prevented if all European countries would biennially screen all women aged 50 to 69 for breast cancer. We calculated the number of breast cancer deaths already prevented due to screening as well as the number of breast cancer deaths which could be additionally prevented if the total examination coverage (organised plus opportunistic) would reach 100%. The calculations are based on total examination coverage in women aged 50 to 69, the annual number of breast cancer deaths for women aged 50 to 74 and the maximal possible mortality reduction from breast cancer, assuming similar effectiveness of organised and opportunistic screening. The total examination coverage ranged from 49% (East), 62% (West), 64% (North) to 69% (South). Yearly 21 680 breast cancer deaths have already been prevented due to mammography screening. If all countries would reach 100% examination coverage, 12 434 additional breast cancer deaths could be prevented annually, with the biggest potential in Eastern Europe. With maximum coverage, 23% of their breast cancer deaths could be additionally prevented, while in Western Europe it could be 21%, in Southern Europe 15% and in Northern Europe 9%. Our study illustrates that by further optimising screening coverage, the number of breast cancer deaths in Europe can be lowered substantially.

Cervical testing beyond the screening target age - A register-based cohort study from Finland.

OBJECTIVE: It has been proposed that cervical cancer screening should be continued in women with previous abnormal results or irregular attendance. We examined the coverage and factors that might influence cervical testing beyond the age range of the organized cervical screening programme in Finland. The national programme invites women in every five years least until the age of 60. After the stopping age, only opportunistic service is available. METHODS: Data on cervical testing were collected from the Mass Screening Registry and providers of opportunistic Pap/HPV-testing and were linked with information on socio-economic variables. The study included 373,353 women who had at least one invitation to the national screening programme between ages 50-60 years, and who were aged 65-74 years in the follow-up period 2006-2016. Multivariable binomial regression models were conducted to determine associations. RESULTS: Altogether 33% of the study population had been tested at least once at ages 65-74 years. Previous regular screening attendance (adjRR 1.70; 95% CI 1.67-1.73) and earlier abnormal results (adjRR 2.08; 95% CI 2.04-2.12) were most clearly related to higher testing adherence at older age. Other factors related to higher testing adherence were urban area of residence, domestic mother tongue, high education level, and high socio-economic status. CONCLUSION: Testing at older age was frequent with normal results, whereas only a small proportion of women with earlier abnormal results or irregular attendance were tested. The upper age limit of the national programme should be raised to 65 years, and the invitations thereafter should be targeted to selected high-risk groups.

Sociodemographic features and patterns of non-participation in colorectal cancer screening in Finland.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening was run as a randomized health services programme in Finland between 2004 and 2016. This study evaluates sociodemographic features and patterns of non-participation among men and women invited to be screened. METHODS: The study population in this register-based study includes 233 211 men and women invited to guaiac faecal occult blood test screening on consecutive screening rounds (n = 708 621 invitations). A generalized estimating equation (GEE) was used to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRR) between sociodemographic features and non-participation. RESULTS: The overall proportion of non-participation was 31.6% and was higher in men (38.8%) than in women (24.6%). Birth cohort, education, marital status and country of birth were associated with non-participation. The birth cohort of 1950-54 was less likely to participate than the birth cohort of 1940-44. Men and women with primary education were more likely non-participants (IRR 1.26, CI 1.23-1.29 and IRR 1.22, CI 1.18-1.26, respectively) than men or women with tertiary education. Further, unmarried persons and immigrants had an increased risk of non-participation. Initial non-participation predicted subsequent behaviour, since, e.g. ∼80% of first-round non-participants also remained non-participants in the second round. CONCLUSION: Education, gender and marital status had a significant effect on non-participation in the CRC screening programme. As high and comprehensive participation is essential for a successful screening programme, attention should be paid in ensuring participation of all sociodemographic groups. Special efforts should be invested in those not participating in the first invitational round, since initial non-participation predicts non-participation to subsequent invitations.

Differences in cervical test coverage by age, socioeconomic status, ethnic origin and municipality type - A nationwide register-based study.

An invitational organized cervical cancer screening together with widely spread opportunistic testing has coexisted for decades in Finland. The aim of this study was to examine the coverage of cervical tests by age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity and municipality type within and outside the organized screening program. We had a cohort of women of whom 1,2 million were in the target age range of screening and residing in Finland in 2010-2014. Data on Pap and/or HPV -tests within and outside the screening program were collected from the Mass Screening Registry, the pathology laboratories and the health insurance reimbursement registry and five-year population coverages of tests were reported. The total test coverage was 86.0%; 95% CI, (85.8-86.1), and was notably lower for those with an unknown socioeconomic status and pensioners (68.8%; 95% CI, (67.9-69.6) and 77.1%; 95% CI, (76.5-77.6), respectively) compared to upper-level employers (89.8%; 95% CI, (89.5-90.2)). Coverage was also lower for non-native speaking women (72.4%; 95% CI, (71.8-73.0)) compared to native speakers (86.9%; 95% CI, (86.7-87.0)) and for women living in urban municipalities (85.5%; 95% CI, (85.3-85.7)) compared to semi-urban (87.4%; 95% CI, (87.0-87.8)). Although overall coverage was high, tests within and outside the program seemed to concentrate on women with presumably good access to health services. Tests outside the program were especially common among young women who are at a low risk of invasive cervical cancer. Efforts should be made to reduce excessive opportunistic testing and to increase attendance at the program among hard-to-reach populations.

Adherence to international recommendations in the governance and organisation of Nordic cervical cancer screening programmes.

INTRODUCTION: Screening has been the primary reason for the decline in the incidence and mortality of cervical cancer in the Nordic countries since the beginning of screening in the 1960s. Recently, the incidence of cervical cancer has increased in the Nordic countries indicating the need to look closely at possibilities for further improvement in screening. This article provides an overview of cervical cancer screening programmes in the Nordic countries and whether the programmes adhere to international recommendations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Relevant and unambiguous screening recommendations were extracted from applicable literature and classified into legal framework, governance, organisation, and monitoring and evaluation. The up-to-date status of screening programmes and adherence to selected recommendations was gathered from official documentation and co-authors representing cervical cancer screening programmes in all the Nordic countries. RESULTS: A total of 168 recommendations were extracted and 54 of them were considered to be unambiguous and relevant. Forty-nine recommendations were included after synthesising similar recommendations. All Nordic countries adhere to recommendations related to legal framework, but adherence was lower with recommendations related to governance and organisation of screening. Monitoring and evaluation are also areas where adherence to recommendations could be improved. CONCLUSIONS: The Nordic cervical cancer screening programmes have substantially decreased cancer burden despite not fully adhering to many of the recommendations. The presented gaps in adherence suggest that there is room for improvement in the screening programmes. Establishing clearer governance structures would still increase the ability to manage changes such as implementing HPV testing as the primary screening method or modifying the programme when HPV vaccinated cohorts of women enter the target age for screening.

Risk factors for preterm delivery among early onset cancer survivors: A Finnish register-based study.

Previous studies have shown an elevated risk for preterm delivery among early onset cancer survivors. Whether the preterm delivery starts spontaneously, due to possible uterine damage because of cancer treatment, or is induced due to maternal conditions is unclear. Our aim was to assess pregnancy related conditions in female cancer survivors possibly underlying the elevated risk for preterm labor. Nationwide cancer and birth registries were merged to identify 1,753 first deliveries of cancer survivors (diagnosed below 40 years of age) and 5,123 first deliveries of matched female comparison subjects between January 1991 and December 2013. Conditional logistic regression models were used to estimate the risk for pregnancy related conditions adjusting for maternal age, gestational age and smoking. We found an overall increased risk for hospitalization during pregnancy (OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.25-1.68), intrahepatic cholestasis (OR 2.86, 95% CI 1.09-7.49), fear of childbirth (OR 2.25, 95% CI 1.31-3.85) and mental disorders and diseases of the nervous system complicating pregnancy and labor (OR 5.89, 95% CI 2.31-15.00). Among survivors, 129 (7.4%) delivered preterm compared to 268 (5.2%) comparisons subjects (p = 0.004). We found a statistically significant increased risk for preterm delivery among cancer survivors with vaginal bleeding (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.07-1.71) and pre-eclampsia (1.35, 95% CI 1.06-1.72) compared to comparison subjects with the same condition. Health professionals treating these women should be aware of these risks. In general, however, our results are reassuring when it comes to pregnancies among cancer survivors.

NordScreen - an interactive tool for presenting cervical cancer screening indicators in the Nordic countries.

Introduction: Quality assurance and improvement of cancer screening programs require up-to-date monitoring systems and evidence-based indicators. National quality reports exist but the definition and calculation of indicators vary making comparisons between countries difficult. The aim is to stimulate collaborative research and quality improvements in screening through freely available, comparable and regularly updated quality indicators. The project currently includes data on cervical cancer screening but population-based screening programs for breast cancer and colorectal cancer may be included in the future. Material and methods: Through a network of Nordic and Baltic screening managers, population-based individual screening data from each country were converted to standard format in each collaborative center, aggregated by the same R program script and then uploaded to the NordScreen online platform. Registry data included all cervical tests except for Finland where only tests based on invitation are included. Results: The NordScreen collaboration has so far collated standardized indicators based on 32.8 million screening tests from four Nordic countries and Estonia. Interactive comparison of test coverage and distribution of women by number of tests are currently possible online. In 2016, the test coverage within a time interval of 5.5 years in the age group 30-64 year-olds was between 78 and 84% in Iceland, Norway and Sweden whereas 70% in Finland. The application allows users to choose indicator specifications interactively. Conclusions: NordScreen is a pilot model for comparable, reliable and accessible cross-country comparisons of cancer screening. Comparability between countries is enhanced by a uniform data structure and standardized calculations. The comparison of coverage rates to national figures shows that the methods used nationally and in the NordScreen project produce similar results.

On Exploring Hidden Structures Behind Cervical Cancer Incidence.

Finding new etiological components is of great interest in disease epidemiology. We consider time series version of invariant coordinate selection (tICS) as an exploratory tool in the search of hidden structures in the analysis of population-based registry data. Increasing cancer burden inspired us to consider a case study of age-stratified cervical cancer incidence in Finland between the years 1953 and 2014. The latent components, which we uncover using tICS, show that the etiology of cervical cancer is age dependent. This is in line with recent findings related to the epidemiology of cervical cancer. Furthermore, we are able to explain most of the variation of cervical cancer incidence in different age groups by using only two latent tICS components. The second tICS component, in particular, is interesting since it separates the age groups into three distinct clusters. The factor that separates the three clusters is the median age of menopause occurrence.

The effect of colorectal cancer screening on health status in a survey study.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening has been found to reduce mortality from CRC but it may have adverse effects on other aspects of health. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of CRC screening on overall health status among men and women within a randomized health-services study in Finland. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A random sample of 10,648 men and women born in 1951 received a questionnaire on health and lifestyle. They were randomized for CRC screening or controls (1:1) in 2011 (N = 10,271). The current study population consisted of those who responded to the questionnaire both before and after screening (n = 4895). Self-rated health (SRH), perceived healthiness of diet and perceived physical fitness were used to determine health status, and assessed with logistic and ordered logistic models using calendar time (2010, 2012), screening randomization and demographic characteristics as covariates. RESULTS: SRH, healthiness of diet and physical fitness improved over time (OR 1.32, CI 1.17-1.48, OR 1.23, CI 1.08-1.41 and OR 1.44, CI 1.28-1.60, respectively). Compared to non-invited controls, CRC screening invitation had no effect on these measures (OR 0.91, CI 0.74-1.12, OR 0.95, CI 0.75-1.20, and OR 1.09, CI 0.87-1.37, respectively). Women reported better health status than men. However, among those who attended screening, women reported weaker, and men better health status than the respective controls. CONCLUSIONS: CRC screening did not have any effect on health status measured using self-rated health, healthiness of diet, and physical fitness. Thus, screening for colorectal cancer can be recommended as a health policy.

Improved diagnostics and change of tumour characteristics in breast cancer: a retrospective study over two decades.

BACKGROUND: Generally, screen-detected cancers have more favourable tumour characteristics than clinically detected or symptomatic cancers. Less is known, whether the tumour characteristics of breast cancer have changed over time into more favourable in general and whether the changes have been similar in all ages. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The aim of this study was to explore the change of breast cancer characteristics in parallel to the implementation of modern diagnostic methods in three age groups over four 5-year time periods between 1992 and 2011. The data from 942 primary breast cancers in one university hospital district in Finland were combined with data from the Finnish Cancer Registry and the Mass Screening Registry. The association of favourable tumour characteristics with time period, age group and diagnostic methods was explored. RESULTS: The most discernible secular change was the increase in oestrogen (ER)-positive cancers in every consecutive time period. The risk for ER positivity in the second, third and fourth period was 2- to 2.71-fold compared to the first period. An increase in small tumours and node-negative tumours was detected during the most recent years of data collection. The secular changes were observed in all age groups; however, overall ER positivity was most frequent among women beyond screening age and small tumours among screening-aged women. The increase in small and node-negative tumours could partly be explained by the implementation of new radiological methods. CONCLUSIONS: This study detected a secular change of tumour characteristics into more favourable irrespective of age group. If the trend continues, it seems that we are going to have a breast cancer population of mainly small ER-positive breast cancers in the future forcing to rethink the therapeutic approach.