Cancer survival in five continents: a worldwide population-based study (CONCORD).

BACKGROUND: Cancer survival varies widely between countries. The CONCORD study provides survival estimates for 1.9 million adults (aged 15-99 years) diagnosed with a first, primary, invasive cancer of the breast (women), colon, rectum, or prostate during 1990-94 and followed up to 1999, by use of individual tumour records from 101 population-based cancer registries in 31 countries on five continents. This is, to our knowledge, the first worldwide analysis of cancer survival, with standard quality-control procedures and identical analytic methods for all datasets. METHODS: To compensate for wide international differences in general population (background) mortality by age, sex, country, region, calendar period, and (in the USA) ethnic origin, we estimated relative survival, the ratio of survival noted in the patients with cancer, and the survival that would have been expected had they been subject only to the background mortality rates. 2800 life tables were constructed. Survival estimates were also adjusted for differences in the age structure of populations of patients with cancer. FINDINGS: Global variation in cancer survival was very wide. 5-year relative survival for breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer was generally higher in North America, Australia, Japan, and northern, western, and southern Europe, and lower in Algeria, Brazil, and eastern Europe. CONCORD has provided the first opportunity to estimate cancer survival in 11 states in USA covered by the National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR), and the study covers 42% of the US population, four-fold more than previously available. Cancer survival in black men and women was systematically and substantially lower than in white men and women in all 16 states and six metropolitan areas included. Relative survival for all ethnicities combined was 2-4% lower in states covered by NPCR than in areas covered by the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program. Age-standardised relative survival by use of the appropriate race-specific and state-specific life tables was up to 2% lower for breast cancer and up to 5% lower for prostate cancer than with the census-derived national life tables used by the SEER Program. These differences in population coverage and analytical method have both contributed to the survival deficit noted between Europe and the USA, from which only SEER data have been available until now. INTERPRETATION: Until now, direct comparisons of cancer survival between high-income and low-income countries have not generally been available. The information provided here might therefore be a useful stimulus for change. The findings should eventually facilitate joint assessment of international trends in incidence, survival, and mortality as indicators of cancer control.

Enfoque estratégico-situacional para o rastreamento do câncer do colo do útero: um relato de experiência / Strategic-situational planning for a cervical cancer screening: experience port

Objetivo: Descrever a experiência de uso do enfoque estratégico-situacional para o rastreamento do câncer do colo do útero em um estudo de coorte. Métodos: A descrição desta experiência é relativa à segunda fase de um estudo de coorte, realizada no período de 2015-2016. A primeira fase da coleta de dados ocorreu em 2010-2012, contemplando 778 mulheres, entre 20 e 59 anos, residentes na área de abrangência de duas Unidades Básicas de Saúde (UBSs). Visando reavaliar as participantes, adotou-se o enfoque estratégico-situacional, concebido por quatro momentos de ação: explicativo (conduziu-se um diagnóstico do serviço das UBSs); normativo (definiram-se os objetivos a serem alcançados e formularam- se intervenções); estratégico (traçaram-se os mecanismos de viabilidade); tático- operacional (executaram-se, monitoraram-se e avaliaram-se as estratégias pré-estabelecidas). Ao final da segunda fase da coorte, após a realização de práticas educativas de promoção da saúde ­ com orientações a respeito da pertinência do teste de Papanicolaou ­ e a eliminação de barreiras de acesso à consulta ginecológica, do total de participantes elegíveis (n = 535), submeteram-se 479 às entrevistas e consultas ginecológicas, ou seja, obteve-se uma taxa de adesão equivalente a 89,5%. Conclusão: Apenas uma pequena parcela das mulheres se mostrou resistente à nova captação. O enfoque estratégico-situacional foi, portanto, elementar para a sistematização do processo de rastreamento do câncer do colo do útero. O reconhecimento de que todos os profissionais do serviço eram atores aptos a contribuir para o planejamento representou o ponto-chave na tomada de decisão e na delimitação de estratégias.

Objective: To describe the experience of the strategic-situational planning for cervical cancer screening in a cohort study. Methods: The description of this experience concerns the second phase of a cohort study, conducted in the period of 2015-2016. The first phase of the study was conducted in 2010-2012, comprising 778 women, aged 20-59, residing in areas covered by two Primary Health Care Units (PHCU). To re-evaluate the participants, we adopted a strategic-situational planning, with four steps: explanatory (conduced a diagnosis of the PHCU service); normative (defined the objectives to be achieved and formulated for interventions); strategy (outlining feasibility mechanisms); and tactical-operational (pre-established tasks were executed, monitored and evaluated). In the end of the second phase of the cohort, after educational practices for health promotion ­ with orientations about the relevance of Papanicolaou test ­ and also after the elimination of access barriers to gynecological appointments, 479 women were evaluated (out of a total of 535 eligible women). Therefore, the rate of adhesion was 89.5%. Conclusion: Just a small proportion of the eligible women was resistant to new uptake. The strategic-situational planning was considered elementary for the systematization of cervical cancer screening process. The recognition of the importance of all health professionals contributed to the planning and represented the key point in making decisions and in the delimitation of strategies.

A validação da informação autorreferida sobre realização do exame de Papanicolaou em mulheres assistidas na Atenção Primária à Saúde / Accuracy of self-reported pap test in women assisted in Primary Health Care

Contexto: As informações autorreferidas são comumente utilizadas em pesquisas para estimar a cobertura do exame de Papanicolaou. Entretanto, não foram identificados estudos brasileiros que avaliem sua acurácia, o que pode comprometer os resultados encontrados. Objetivo: Avaliar a acurácia da informação autorreferida sobre a realização do último exame de Papanicolaou em mulheres assistidas pela Estratégia de Saúde da Família (ESF). Métodos: A informação autorreferida sobre a realização do exame foi obtida em estudo transversal com mulheres de 20 a 59 anos atendidas em unidades com ESF, mediante aplicação de questionário. A informação padrão-ouro foi obtida por meio da busca de registros médicos de exames de Papanicolaou. A acurácia entre o padrão-ouro e o autorrelato foi analisada por meio do cálculo do percentual de informação autorreferida adequada, da sensibilidade, da especificidade e dos valores preditivos positivos e negativos. Resultados: Foram incluídas na análise 572 mulheres. O percentual de informação autorreferida adequada foi de 92,3%, sensibilidade de 98,2% (IC95% 96,5­99,1), especificidade de 52,0% (IC95% 40,1­63,8) e valores preditivos positivos e negativos, respectivamente, de 93,3% (IC95% 90,8­95,2) e 80,8% (IC95% 66,3­90,3). Ressalta- se que não foi encontrada diferença nas medidas de acurácia em função das variáveis sociodemográficas. Conclusão: A partir dos dados apresentados, pode-se dizer que a informação autorreferida sobre realização do exame de Papanicolaou apresentou medidas de acurácia que garantem a credibilidade da informação e respaldam o uso do autorrelato na avaliação da cobertura do exame e programação do próximo exame de rastreio.

Context: Self-reported information is commonly used in surveys to estimate coverage of the Pap Test. However, it was not found in Brazil studies that evaluated the accuracy of self-report. Objective: To assess the accuracy of self-reported cervical cancer screening in women assisted in Primary Health Care. Methods: The self-reported information about the test was obtained in a cross-sectional study with women aged 20 to 59 years old who attended Primary Health Care units, using a questionnaire. The gold-standard information was obtained through the search in medical records of Pap smears. The validity of the self-report was analyzed by calculating the percentage of adequate self-reported information, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predict values. Results: A total of 572 women were included in the analysis. The percentage of adequate self-reported information was 92.3%, with sensitivity of 98.2% (95% CI 96.5 to 99.1), specificity of 52.0% (95% CI 40.1 to 63.8) and positive and negative predict values, respectively, of 93.3% (95% CI: 90.8-95.2) and 80.8% (95% CI: 66.3-90.3). No difference was found in validity measures between sociodemographics characteristics. Conclusion: The self- reported cervical cancer screening showed validity measures that guarantee the credibility of the information and supports the use of self-report in the evaluation of the exam coverage and in the scheduling of the next Pap test.

[Prevalence of HPV infection among women covered by the family health program in the Baixada Fluminense, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil]. / Prevalência de HPV em mulheres assistidas pela estratégia saúde da família na Baixa Fluminense do Estado do Rio de Janeiro.

PURPOSE: to evaluate the prevalence of HPV infection and associated factors among women living in the 'Baixada Fluminense', state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. METHODS: a cross-sectional study conducted on a sample of 2,056 women aged 25-59 years covered by the Family Health Program in the municipalities of Duque de Caxias and Nova Iguaçu, state of Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil. All women were submitted to the Papanicolaou and HPV detection tests in a single session by second-generation hybrid capture from December 2001 to July 2002. The prevalence of HPV was stratified by age, place of residence, schooling, smoking habit, and sexual and reproductive history. The prevalence rates associated with the studied variables were calculated by Multivariate Poisson regression. RESULTS: the prevalence of HPV was 12.3% and 5.0% for high-risk and low-risk HPV types, respectively. A reduction in high-risk HPV prevalence was observed with aging, with an increase in the 55-59 year age range. After adjusting for age, schooling, smoking, early sexual initiation and parity, high-risk HPV infection was associated with not living with a partner (1.4; 95%CI=1.1-1.8) and having more than one sexual partner (an increase of 1.4%; 95%CI=1.1-1.6, for each lifetime sexual partner). CONCLUSIONS: the prevalence of HPV was lower than that reported in other Brazilians studies, most likely because our sample was population-based. HPV infection was associated only with factors related to sexual behavior, but the potential association between HPV infection and smoking still needs to be better understood. Further studies are needed to explore these issues, as well as postmenopausal increased infection rates, and to identify the most prevalent HPV types in the Brazilian population.