Completeness of regional cancer registry data in Northwest Russia 2008-2017.

BACKGROUND: A national framework for population-based cancer registration was established in Russia in the late 1990s. Data comparability and validity analyses found substantial differences across ten population-based cancer registries (PBCRs)in Northwest Russia, and only four out of ten met international standards. This study aimed to assess the completeness of the PBCR data of those registries. METHODS: Qualitative and quantitative methods recommended for completeness and timeliness assessment were applied to the data from ten Russian regional PBCRs in Northwest Russia, covering a population of 13 million. We used historic data methods (using several European PBCRs reference rates), mortality-to-incidence ratios (M:I) comparison, and death certificate methods to calculate the proportion of unregistered cases (Lincoln-Petersen estimator and Ajiki formula). RESULTS: Incidence rate trends of different cancer types were stable over time (except one region - Leningrad oblast). A slight drop in incidence rates in older age groups for several sites in the Northwestern regions was observed compared to the reference from European countries. Comparing M:I ratios against five-year survival revealed systematic differences in Leningrad oblast and Vologda oblast. Assessment of completeness revealed low or unrealistic estimates in Leningrad oblast and completeness below 90% in St. Petersburg. In other regions, the completeness was above 90%. The national annual report between 2008-2017 did not include about 10% of the cases collected later in the registry database of St. Petersburg. This difference was below 3% for Arkhangelsk oblast, Murmansk oblast, Novgorod oblast, Vologda oblast and the Republic of Karelia. CONCLUSIONS: Eight out of ten regional PBCRs in Northwest Russia collected data with an acceptable degree of completeness. Mostly populated St. Petersburg and Leningrad oblast did not reach such completeness. PBCR data from several regions in Northwest Russia are suitable for epidemiological research and monitoring cancer control activities.

Comparability and validity of cancer registry data in the northwest of Russia.

BACKGROUND: Despite the elaborate history of statistical reporting in the USSR, Russia established modern population-based cancer registries (PBCR) only in the 1990s. The quality of PBCRs data has not been thoroughly analyzed. This study aims at assessing the comparability and validity of cancer statistics in regions of the Northwestern Federal District (NWFD) of Russia. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data from ten Russian regional PBCRs covering ∼13 million (∼5 million in St. Petersburg) were processed in line with IARC/IACR and ENCR recommendations. We extracted and analyzed all registered cases but focused on cases diagnosed between 2008 and 2017. For comparability and validity assessment, we applied established qualitative and quantitative methods. RESULTS: Data collection in NWFD is in line with international standards. Distributions of diagnosis dates revealed higher variation in several regions, but overall, distributions are relatively uniform. The proportion of multiple primaries between 2008 and 2017 ranged from 6.7% in Vologda Oblast to 12.4% in Saint-Petersburg. We observed substantial regional heterogeneity for most indicators of validity. In 2013-2017, proportions of morphologically verified cases ranged between 61.7 and 89%. Death certificates only (DCO) cases proportion was in the range of 1-14% for all regions, except for Saint-Petersburg (up to 23%). The proportion of cases with a primary site unknown was between 1 and 3%. Certain cancer types (e.g., pancreas, liver, hematological malignancies, and CNS tumors) and cancers in older age groups showed lower validity. CONCLUSION: While the overall level of comparability and validity of PBCRs data of four out of ten regions of NWFD of Russia meets the international standards, differences between the regions are substantial. The local instructions for cancer registration need to be updated and implemented. The data validity assessment also reflects pitfalls in the quality of diagnosis of certain cancer types and patient groups.

BRAF-mutated clear cell sarcoma is sensitive to vemurafenib treatment.

We report a patient with a metastatic relapse of clear cell sarcoma, whose tumor harbored BRAF V600E mutation. Standard chemotherapy with doxorubicin and ifosfamide failed to slow the disease progression. Subsequent administration of vemurafenib (960 mg twice a day) resulted in complete tumor response after 8 weeks of treatment. Literature data on the use of vemurafenib and dabrafenib in non-melanoma BRAF-mutated tumors are reviewed.

Evidence for clinical efficacy of mitomycin C in heavily pretreated ovarian cancer patients carrying germ-line BRCA1 mutation.

Ovarian carcinomas (OC) arising in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers demonstrate pronounced sensitivity to platinum-based therapy due to deficiency of double-strand break DNA repair. However, the choice of subsequent treatment lines for this category of women remains complicated. We considered mitomycin C for heavily pretreated hereditary OC patients, based on multiple evidence for BRCA-specific activity of this drug. Twelve patients carrying BRCA1 germ-line mutation were included in the study. All women had a history of surgical intervention followed by adjuvant platinum-based therapy; three patients also received platinating agents prior the operation. The number of preceding treatment lines for metastatic disease was one for three patients, two for four patients, three for two patients, four for two patients and six for one woman. Administration of mitomycin C (10 mg/m2, every 4 weeks) resulted in one complete response (duration 36 weeks), two partial responses (duration 36 and 48 weeks) and six instances of disease stabilization (duration 12, 16, 20, 24, 24 and 24 weeks). In addition, three patients with the stable disease showed a decline of CA-125 level. We conclude that mitomycin C may deserve further evaluation in clinical trials involving BRCA1/2-related cancers.

Vital and health statistics: Russian Federation and United States, selected years 1985-2000 with an overview of Russian mortality in the 1990s.

This report provides comparative vital and health statistics data for recent years for the Russian Federation and the United States. Statistical data for Russia and from the Ministry of Health of Russia and from Goskomstat, the central statistical organization of Russia. Information for the United States comes from various data systems of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) as well as other parts of the Department of Health and Human Services. The initial section of the report summarizes information on recent mortality trends in the Russian Federation. During the 1990s, Russia experienced a major increase in mortality from 1990 to 1994, a substantial reduction in mortality from 1994 to 1998, and another major increase from 1998 to 2000. The mortality overview uses tables and figures to describe mortality changes by age group, sex, and cause of death, and to determine the contribution of each of these to changes in life expectancy. The overview also considers risk factors and other issues underlying these trends, in an attempt to understand the impact of major mortality determinants on changes in life expectancy. The section on vital and health statistics uses tables, figures, and commentary to present information on many different health measures for the populations of the two countries. Topics covered include population size, fertility, life expectancy, infant mortality, death rates, communicable diseases, and various health personnel and health resource measures. The commentary includes a discussion of data quality issues that affect the accuracy and comparability of the information presented. Data are provided for selected years from 1985 to 2000. In addition to national data, mortality information on urban and rural subgroups in Russia is provided. A glossary of terms at the end of the report provides additional information on definitions and data sources and limitations.

La determinación del estado de salud de la población: principales factores / Determination of the population health condition: main factors

La determinación de la salud de la población y sus principales tendencias es un problema actual e importante de la ciencia higienicosocial. Desentrañar las causas y condiciones que determinan las regularidades de la morbilidad, la invalidez, la mortalidad, el crecimiento y desarrollo físico tiene un valor indudable para pronosticar su evolución futura y conformar o perfeccionar los principales programas profilácticos de la salud pública dirigidos a fortalecer los factores que influyen positivamente sobre la salud de la población y controlar o suprimir los negativos

La determinación del estado de salud de la población: principales factores / Determination of the population health condition: main factors

La determinación de la salud de la población y sus principales tendencias es un problema actual e importante de la ciencia higienicosocial. Desentrañar las causas y condiciones que determinan las regularidades de la morbilidad, la invalidez, la mortalidad, el crecimiento y desarrollo físico tiene un valor indudable para pronosticar su evolución futura y conformar o perfeccionar los principales programas profilácticos de la salud pública dirigidos a fortalecer los factores que influyen positivamente sobre la salud de la población y controlar o suprimir los negativos

Tendencias contemporáneas de la mortalidad infantil: reservas para su disminución ulterior / Contemporary trends in infant mortality: reserves for its eventual decrease

Se examinan las tendencias de la dinámica de la reducción de la mortalidad infantil en el mundo desarrollado y subdesarrollado y se hace énfasis en los ritmos; se destaca su enlentecimiento general en el primer grupo de países en los últimos años. Se examinan las posibilidades para la reducción de la mortalidad posneonatal que se considera la primera reserva de reducción de la mortalidad infantil, así como las potencialidades de la disminución de la mortalidad neonatal, que se entiende como una segunda reserva. Se examina el vínculo de la mortalidad infantil con los factores politicosociales y la evolución de este importante indicador en Cuba, así como las principales orientaciones para su ulterior disminución

Tendencias contemporáneas de la mortalidad infantil: reservas para su disminución ulterior / Contemporary trends in infant mortality: reserves for its eventual decrease

Se examinan las tendencias de la dinámica de la reducción de la mortalidad infantil en el mundo desarrollado y subdesarrollado y se hace énfasis en los ritmos; se destaca su enlentecimiento general en el primer grupo de países en los últimos años. Se examinan las posibilidades para la reducción de la mortalidad posneonatal que se considera la primera reserva de reducción de la mortalidad infantil, así como las potencialidades de la disminución de la mortalidad neonatal, que se entiende como una segunda reserva. Se examina el vínculo de la mortalidad infantil con los factores politicosociales y la evolución de este importante indicador en Cuba, así como las principales orientaciones para su ulterior disminución