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Objective: Inflammatory myopathies (IM), characterized by muscle inflammation and weakness, are rare systemic diseases. Our previous study estimated an IM incidence rate of 7.98 cases per million people per year (95% confidence interval 7.38-8.66) and highlighted important variations that were likely because of methodologic issues rather than true epidemiologic differences. In this study, we aimed to refine the incidence of IM, using the 2017 European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR)/American College of Rheumatology (ACR) classification criteria for IM and a quadruple-source capture-recapture method during a 6-year period in Alsace, France, a region with a population of 2 million having benefits of good access to health care and accredited IM referral centers., Methods: Clinical data of potential IM patients were obtained from 4 sources (general practitioners and community specialists, public and private hospital records, public and private laboratories, and archives from the pathology department). Patients residing in Alsace and who fulfilled the 2017 EULAR/ACR criteria for IM between January 1, 2006, and January 1, 2013, were included. We corrected potentially incomplete ascertainment of cases with capture-recapture analyses. We studied both spatial and temporal distributions of incidence of IM. We also assessed systemic manifestations of the disease., Results: Our review of 1,742 potential cases identified 106 patients with IM. No spatial or temporal heterogeneity was observed. Use of log-linear models showed an estimated 14.9 additional missed cases. Thus, the incidence rate of IM was 8.22 new cases per million inhabitants per year (95% confidence interval 6.76-9.69). Extramuscular manifestations other than dermatomyositis rash were frequently recorded., Conclusion: The stringent methodology used in our study provides an accurate estimation of the incidence of IM. This study also demonstrates, in a population-based cohort, the systemic nature of IM., (© 2023 The Authors. Arthritis & Rheumatology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American College of Rheumatology.)

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze trends in the incidence of vaginal cancer in France over a 28-year period and to present survival for recently-diagnosed women., Methods: French cancer registries provided data on invasive vaginal cancers diagnosed from 1990 to 2015 and followed up through June 2018. Trends in incidence were analyzed using a Poisson model with a bidimensional penalized spline of age and year at diagnosis. Net survival analysis was restricted to recently-diagnosed cases (2010-2015) and used a novel approach based on a bidimensional penalized spline of age and time-since-diagnosis to model excess mortality hazard., Results: With 162 new cases estimated in France in 2018, vaginal cancer represented 0.9 % of genital cancers in French women. In 2018, the world population age-standardized incidence rate was 0.2 per 100,000 person-years, median age at diagnosis was 75 years. The standardized incidence rate decreased significantly by 3 % per year (95 % CI, -3.8; -2.2) between 1990 and 2018 (0.4 cases per 100,000 person-year in 1990, vs 0.2 in 2018). Age-standardized net survival at 1 and 5 years after diagnosis was respectively 74 % and 45 %., Conclusions: This study confirms that vaginal cancer is still a rare malignancy in France with 5-year net survival that remains low. We observed a consistent decrease in the incidence rate between 1990 and 2018. It may be too early to attribute these trends to a positive impact of vaccination campaigns against hrHPV infection, since vaginal cancer mainly affects older women and HPV vaccination has only been available since the early 2000s, and only targets young girls., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Studies about second primary cancers (SPC) incidence exclude a period following the first cancer diagnosis given the high probability of diagnosing another primary cancer during this phase (synchronous cancers). However, definition of synchronicity period varies widely, from one to six months, without clear epidemiological justification. The objective of this study was to determine the most appropriate synchronicity period., Methods: Data from 13 French population-based cancer registries were used to establish a cohort of all patients diagnosed with a first cancer between 1989 and 2010. The incidence rate of subsequent cancer was computed by day within 1 year of follow-up after the first diagnosis. Incidence was modelized by joinpoint regression models with an initial quadratic trend and a second constant part (plateau). The joinpoint was the point from which the plateau began and defining the synchronicity period., Results: Our cohort included 696,775 patients with a first cancer, of which 12,623 presented a SPC. The median joinpoint for all sites combined was estimated at 120.5 days [112.0-129.0]. Analysis by gender reported a higher difference in 32 days for males (127.8 vs 96.1 days). Noteworthy differences were found depending on patient age and the site of first cancer, with joinpoint ranging from 84.7 (oesophagus cancer) to 250.1 days (bladder cancer)., Conclusion: Although some heterogeneity was observed based on the characteristic of the patients, the appropriate synchronicity period appears to be 4 months after the diagnosis of first cancer., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: This study was undertaken to determine cancer survival and describe the spectrum of cancers diagnosed among French adolescent and young adult (AYA) population. Methods: All cases of cancer diagnosed in 15-24 years, recorded by all French population-based registries (18% of the French population), over the 2000-2016 period, were included. Age-standardized incidence rates, conventional annual percentage change (cAPC) of incidence over time, and 5-year overall survival (5yOS) were calculated. Results: We analyzed 2734 cancer diagnoses in adolescents and 4199 in young adults. Overall incidence rates were 231.9/10 6 in 15-19 year olds and 354.0/10 6 in 20-24 year olds. The most frequently diagnosed cancers in male AYA were malignant gonadal germ-cell tumors (GCT), Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), and malignant melanoma and were HL, thyroid carcinoma, and malignant melanoma in females. Cancer incidence was stable over time with a cAPC of 0.8% ( p  = 0.72). For all cancers combined, 5yOS was 86.6% (95% CI: 85.8-87.4), >85% for HL, non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL), GCT, thyroid carcinomas, and malignant melanomas, and around 60% and lower for osteosarcomas, Ewing tumors, hepatic carcinomas, and rhabdomyosarcomas. The 5yOS has significantly improved from 2000-2007 to 2008-2015 for all cancers pooled, with a substantial gain of 4% for 15-19 year olds and 3% for 20-24 year olds. Conclusion: Notwithstanding the encouraging results for some cancers, and overall, persistent poorer survivals in AYA were shown compared to children for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, osteosarcoma, Ewing tumor, rhabdomyosarcoma, and malignant hepatic tumors. These disparities require further investigation to identify and address the causes of these inferior outcomes.

Background: While several studies have documented fatigue during and after cancer treatment, long-term cancer survivor fatigue is underreported. In this study, we compare fatigue, quality of life (QoL), and anxiety between relapse-free cancer survivors 15 years after diagnosis and healthy controls., Methods: Cancer survivors (CS) were randomly selected from three large population-based cancer registries (Bas-Rhin, Calvados, and Doubs, France). Cancer-free controls were randomly selected from electoral lists with stratification on age group, residence area, and gender. All participants completed self-reported fatigue (MFI), QoL (EORTC QLQ-C30), and anxiety (STAI) questionnaires. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression were used to study the association between fatigue and cancer status, in three cancer subgroups: breast cancer (BC), cervical cancer (CC), and colorectal cancer (CRC)., Results: Two hundred sixty-three CS and 688 controls (125/275, 45/153, 93/260 CS/controls for BC, CC, and CRC respectively) were included. The mean age was 66 years. In multivariable analyses, CS had higher general and mental fatigue than controls p = 0.04 and p = 0.02, respectively. No difference in QoL was observed between CS and controls. CS were more anxious than controls (p < 0.01). Anxiety was associated with general fatigue (p < 0.0001) and mental fatigue (p < 0.0001)., Conclusion: Fifteen years after diagnosis, cancer survivors reported more general and mental fatigue compared with controls. Our results reinforce guidelines, identifying fatigue as a persistent symptom.

Introduction: Few studies have explored the long-term occupational situation after cancer. The aim of our study were to study the employment status among long-term cancer survivors and to compare it to cancer-free controls from the general population at 5, 10 or 15 years after cancer diagnosis., Methods: From data of a registry-based study, long-term survivors from breast,cervical and colorectal cancer, randomly selected from three tumor registries in France, were compared to cancer-free controls randomly selected from electoral lists. We selected active cancer survivors and cancer-free controls aged less than 60 at the time of the survey. We have studied the employment status of cases vs. controls and the factors associated with employment status., Results: At 5, 10 or 15 years after diagnosis, we did not observe any significant difference in employment status between cases and controls. Among cases, 17% had lost their jobs. Older age, lower incomes, lower education, a short-term employment contract, the presence of co-morbidities, fatigue and a worse quality of life were associated with job loss., Discussion: Although the employment status of the cases was comparable to that of the controls, efforts should be intensified to make it easier for patients diagnosed with cancer to return to work., (Copyright © 2020 Société Française du Cancer. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Cancer registries are collections of curated data about malignant tumor diseases. The amount of data processed by cancer registries increases every year, making manual registration more and more tedious., Objective: We sought to develop an automatic analysis pipeline that would be able to identify and preprocess registry input for incident prostate adenocarcinomas in a French regional cancer registry., Methods: Notifications from different sources submitted to the Bas-Rhin cancer registry were used here: pathology data and, ICD 10 diagnosis codes from hospital discharge data and healthcare insurance data. We trained a Support Vector Machine model (machine learning) to predict whether patient's data must be considered or not as a prostate adenocarcinoma incident case that should therefore be registered. The final registration of all identified cases was manually confirmed by a specialized technician. Text mining tools (regular expressions) were used to extract clinical and biological data from non-structured pathology reports., Results: We performed two successive analyses. First, we used 982 cases manually labeled by registrars from the 2014 dataset to predict the registration of 785 cases submitted in 2015. Then, we repeated the procedure using the 2089 cases labeled by registrars from the 2014 and 2015 datasets to predict the registration of 926 cases submitted in the 2016 data. The algorithm identified 663 cases of prostate adenocarcinoma in 2015, and 610 in 2016. From these findings, 663 and 531 cases were respectively added to the registry; and 641 and 512 cases were confirmed by the specialized technician. This registration process has achieved a precision level above 96 %. The algorithm obtained an overall precision of 99 % (99.5 % in 2015 and 98.5 % in 2016) and a recall of 97 % (97.8 % in 2015 and 96.9 % in 2016). When the information was found in pathology report, text mining was more than 90 % accuracy for major indicators: PSA test, Gleason score, and incidence date). For both PSA and tumor side, information was not detected in the majority of cases.", Conclusion: Machine learning was able to identify new cases of prostate cancer, and text mining was able to prefill the data about incident cases. Machine-learning-based automation of the registration process could reduce delays in data production and allow investigators to devote more time to complex tasks and analysis., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors have no conflict of interests to declare., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare two groups of patients presenting advanced ovarian carcinoma benefiting from neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) followed by cytoreductive surgery: after 3-4 cycles (group 1) or ≥ 5 cycles (group 2), regarding overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), complications related to surgery as well as the extent of cytoreduction were assessed., Study Design: We conducted a retrospective, multicenter cohort study in nine referral centers of France, reviewing the charts of all patients who underwent NAC between January 2000 and June 2017. We performed an OS analysis using multivariate Cox regression models adjusted for potential confounders. We also analyzed PFS and surgery-related morbidity., Results: Of 501 patients included, 236 (47.1 %) benefited from ≤ 4 NAC cycles and 265 (52.9 %) from ≥ 5 NAC cycles. Characteristics data were similar in both groups. The rate of achievement of complete surgery was similar in both groups (p = 0.28). Surgical morbidity and postoperative complications showed no significant differences between both groups. The median OS was 54.2 months, 64 months for group 1 and 49.2 months for group 2. The 5-year survival rate was 45.6 % and 27.6 %. This difference was not statistically significant [HR 1.81 (0.89-3.71), p = 0.09]. Five-year PFS was 19.7 % and 11.7 % respectively (p = 0.31)., Conclusion: In a large series of advanced ovarian cancer, patients receiving late IDS (≥ 5 NAC cycles) seem to show a poorer prognosis than patients operated on earlier. The survival appears to be mainly determined by optimal resection and response to chemotherapy., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma is a rare disease, and most available data on gastric MALT lymphoma (GML) come from clinical studies of selected patients treated in centres of excellence., Aims: To analyse the clinical features, management and survival of GML patients in a population-based study in France METHODS: All new cases of GML diagnosed between 2002 and 2010 in 11 French areas covered by cancer registries were included. Pathology reports were verified and, if necessary, reviewed by an expert pathologist. All clinical data were retrospectively collected from medical files and analysed using stata V. 14 software., Results: Four hundred and sixteen patients with confirmed GML (50% male, median age 67 years) were identified. Among them, 44 showed an early transformation into diffuse large B cell lymphoma and were considered to have had an initially missed high-grade lymphoma. At diagnosis, 76% of patients were at stage IE/II, and 24% at stage III/IV of the disease. Helicobacter pylori infection was found in 57% of the patients. Eradication treatment was administered to 76% of patients and complete remission (CR) was obtained in 39%. One hundred and ninety patients received at least one other treatment, including 10 already in CR after eradication. Altogether, CR was obtained in 70% of patients and the 5-year overall survival was 79% (95% CI [75-83])., Conclusions: In comparison to clinical series, in the general population, GMLs are more frequently diagnosed at an advanced stage, their clinical management is heterogeneous, and there is a risk of misdiagnosis and overtreatment. These results highlight the necessity of following currently available guidelines in this field., (© 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: For luminal metastatic breast cancer (MBC), endocrine therapy (ET) is the recommended initial treatment before chemotherapy. Our objective was to evaluate the efficacy of multiple ET lines in a real-life study., Methods: The Breast Cancer Epidemiological Strategy and Medical Economics (ESME) project analysed data from all patients with systemic treatment for MBC initiated between 2008 and 2014 in one of the 18 French Comprehensive Cancer Centres. The primary end-point was the successive progression-free survival (PFS) evaluation., Results: The ESME research programme included 9921 patients with hormone receptor-positive (HR+)/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) negative (HER2-) MBC. Before any chemotherapy, 4195 (43.4%), 1252 (29.8%) and 279 (6.6%) patients received one, two or three ET ± targeted therapy, respectively. The median PFS for first-, second- and third-line ET ± targeted therapy was 11.5 (95% confidence interval [CI], 10.8-12.1), 5.8 (95% CI, 5.3-6.1) and 5.5 (95% CI, 4.6-6.3) months, respectively. In a multivariate analysis, time from diagnosis to metastatic recurrence (P < 0.0001), presence of symptoms at metastatic relapse (P = 0.01), number of metastatic sites (P = 0.0003) and their localisation (P < 0.0001) were prognostic factors for PFS1. Duration of previous PFS was the only prognostic factor for subsequent PFS (10% threshold). Ten percent of the patients showed long-term response to ET, with a total treatment duration before chemotherapy ≥43.6 months., Conclusions: Median PFS in our HR+/HER2- real-life cohort is similar to median first-line PFS reported in clinical trials, regardless of ET used as second- and third-line treatment. Despite the international consensus on early initiation of ET, the latter is not prescribed in most of the cases. Patients with a low tumour burden may achieve prolonged response on ET., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The currently ongoing Epidemiological Strategy and Medical Economics (ESME) research programme aims at centralising real-life data on oncology care for epidemiological research purposes. We draw on results from the metastatic breast cancer (MBC) cohort to illustrate the methodology used for data collection in the ESME research programme., Participants: All consecutive ≥18 years patients with MBC treatment initiated between 2008 and 2014 in one of the 18 French Comprehensive Cancer Centres were selected. Diagnostic, therapeutic and follow-up data (demographics, primary tumour, metastatic disease, treatment patterns and vital status) were collected through the course of the disease. Data collection is updated annually., Finding to Date: With a recruitment target of 30 000 patients with MBC by 2019, we currently screened a total of 45 329 patients, and >16 700 patients with a metastatic disease treatment initiated after 2008 have been selected. 20.7% of patients had an hormone receptor (HR)-negative MBC, 73.7% had a HER2-negative MBC and 13.9% were classified as triple-negative BC (ie, HER2 and HR status both negative). Median follow-up duration from MBC diagnosis was 48.55 months for the whole cohort., Future Plans: These real-world data will help standardise the management of MBC and improve patient care. A dozen of ancillary research projects have been conducted and some of them are already accepted for publication or ready to be issued. The ESME research programme is expanding to ovarian cancer and advanced/metastatic lung cancer. Our ultimate goal is to achieve a continuous link to the data of the cohort to the French national Health Data System for centralising data on healthcare reimbursement (drugs, medical procedures), inpatient/outpatient stays and visits in primary/secondary care settings., Trial Registration Number: NCT03275311; Pre-results., Competing Interests: Competing interests: DP has received personal fees (honoraria and travel/accommodation expenses) from Laboratoire Roche, outside the submitted work. BA has received personal fees for board membership and for consultancy from Roche Pharma, outside the submitted work. SG has received personal fees for board membership from Celgene and for consultancy from Roche, outside the submitted work., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Merkel Cell Carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive skin cancer with an increasing incidence. Population-based epidemiologic data about MCC in France are rare. Our study aims to describe the epidemiology of MCC in Bas-Rhin, Northeastern of France, between 1985 and 2013. Data were collected from the Bas-Rhin Cancer Registry. We measured age-adjusted incidence rates (per 100,000 person-years) and effect of age, sex and period of diagnosis on survival. The world age-standardized incidence rate was 0.17 and it quadrupled between 1985 and 2013. Cases (n = 111) occurred mostly in women (60%) and in persons ≥70 years of age (74%). Incidence rates was close for men (0.18) and women (0.16) and was 25-time higher in people ≥70 years of age but incidence rate similarly increased between 1985 and 2013 in persons older and younger than 70 years. Net 5-year survival was 48.5%; female sex and younger age were positive predictors of survival. Given the low number of cases, incidence and survival data should be interpreted with caution. Incidence of MCC in Bas-Rhin quadrupled between 1985 and 2013. The highest incidence rate was observed in people ≥70 years. Better survival was associated with female sex and younger age. We hypothesize that MCC will still increase and be diagnosed in increasingly younger patients in next generations., (© 2018 UICC.)

In 1994, a pilot program of cervical cancer screening was introduced in the Alsace region, France. Women aged 25-65 years were proposed to have one Pap smear every 3 years. The objective was to assess cervical morbidity in Alsace before the human papillomavirus vaccinated population reaches the age of screening. Data on cervical lesions and cancers were collected by EVE for the period September 2008 to August 2011 from existing medical services and cytopathology laboratories in Alsace. Cytological and histological data were completed with data from the two cancer registries covering the region (Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin). Cancer incidence rates were computed for the target population (truncated to 25-64 years) and were age standardized according to the world reference population. World standardized incidence rates for the whole female population were obtained from the two cancer registries. During 2008-2011, 565 153 smears were performed in 498 913 women aged 25-64 years, representing an average of 1.13 smears/woman and 1.62 smears/screened woman. The overall screening coverage was 70.1% over the 3-year period. Histologically confirmed high-grade lesions were found in 2303 women (0.5%). Moreover, 215 cervical cancers were reported among women aged 25-64 years (crude and standardized truncated incidence rate of 10.6 and 10.0/100 000 women-years, respectively). The overall screening coverage of 70% at 3 years is higher than the national rate (57%), and the overall cancer incidence of 5.5/100 000 is below the national French level. The EVE database will be useful to assess trends in cervical morbidity over time and to further assess the effect of screening as well as of human papillomavirus vaccination.

Background: Survival rates of lung cancer remains poor and the impact of comorbidities on the prognosis is discussed. The objective of this study was to assess if the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) was associated with 8-year survival rates by histological type., Methods: A cohort study was conducted using randomly selected cases from 10 French cancer registries. Net survival rates were computed using the Pohar-Perme estimator of the net cumulative rate. Three Cox models were independently built for adenocarcinomas, squamous cell and small cell cancers to estimate prognostic factors including CCI grade., Results: A total of 646 adenocarcinomas, 524 squamous cell and 233 small cell cancers were included in the analysis. The net 8-year survival rate ranged from 12.6% (95% CI: 9.8-15.4%) for adenocarcinomas and 13.4% (95% CI: 10.1-16.7%) for squamous cell carcinomas, to 3.7% (95% CI: 1.1-6.3%) for small cell cancers. Observed and net survival rates decreased for CCI grades ≥3 for all histological group considered. After adjustment for sex, age group, stage and diagnostic mode, CCI grades 1 (HR = 1.6 [95% CI: 1.1-2.3]), 2 (HR = 1.7 [95% CI: 1.1-2.7]) and ≥ 3 (HR = 2.7 [95% CI: 1.7-4.4]) were associated with lower survival rates only for small cell cancers., Conclusion: After adjustment for age, sex, stage and diagnostic mode, the presence of comorbidity based on CCI grades 1-2 and ≥ 3 was associated with lower survival rates for small cell cancers whereas no differences were observed for adenocarcinomas and squamous cell cancers.

Background: In order to evaluate at the population level the impact of the actions developed in France since 2004 to organize the care of adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer, we conducted the present study to provide an unbiased view of the pathway of care of these patients., Methods: Using a population-based registry, we conducted a review of all cases of cancer diagnosed during 2012 and 2013 in 15- to 24-year-old patients living in nineteen French administrative areas., Results: The median times for diagnosis and treatment of the 993 included AYAs were 9 weeks (3-22) and 1 day (0-20), respectively. Delays in diagnosis were significantly longer in young adults than in adolescents, especially for soft-tissue sarcomas (48.7 weeks vs. 15.4 weeks, P = 0.04) and bone tumors (21.4 weeks vs. 10.1 weeks, P = 0.04). The first physicians seen by patients were mostly general practitioners (67.4%). Most patients (77.5%) were treated in adult units. Management decisions were taken within the context of a multidisciplinary team (MDT) in 85.3% of cases. MDT meetings that involved both pediatric and adult oncologists were uncommon (15.7% of patients). Twenty-six percent of patients were included in randomized or nonrandomized clinical studies. The proportion of inclusion was significantly higher in adolescents (39.5%) than in young adults (16.8%)., Conclusion: In France, pathways of care for AYAs are heterogeneous. It is necessary to organize a national network of expert centers with adequate medical skills and specific psychosocial support and facilities to provide the best possible care for these patients., (© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare primary cutaneous neuroendocrine carcinoma. Owing to its low incidence, epidemiological data are scarce and have never been analysed in France to identify the main epidemiological trends., Methods: Data from MCC patients diagnosed between 1998 and 2010 were obtained from 11 French cancer registries in the FRANCIM network. The main epidemiological characteristics of MCC were investigated between 2006 and 2010 because comprehensive data were only available for this period. The main focus was tumour incidence and mortality over time., Results: Between 1998 and 2010, 562 cases of MCC were reported in the registries. From 2006 to 2010 (290 cases), European- and world-standardized incidence rates were 0.26 and 0.43 per 100,000 person-years in men and 0.24 and 0.38 per 100,000 person-years in women. MCC is more frequent in females in France (56.9%) with male/female ratio 1.1. Relative survival rates were 84%, 56% and 42% at one, three and 5 years, respectively., Conclusions: The incidence of MCC clearly increased over time in all areas under focus. The standardized incidence in France was comparable to the incidence observed in other countries for the same period, but French data are too recent to conclude on an increase in MCC incidence. Prognosis remains poor in all countries in which data are available., (© 2018 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.)

Purpose: To analyze trends in second primary cancer (SPC) incidence by using a case-mix approach to standardize on first cancer site distribution., Methods: Cases registered by 13 French cancer registries between 1989 and 2010 and followed-up until June 2013 were included. The person-year approach was used to compute standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) of metachronous SPC. Usual SIRs and cancer site-specific weighted SIRs called "case-mix SIRs" (cmSIRs) were estimated by sex and calendar period of first cancer diagnosis. Calendar trends in SIRs and cmSIRs were compared., Results: More than 2.9 million person-years at risk were included. Among males, SIRs dropped from 1.49 to 1.23 between 1989-1994 and 2005-2010, while cmSIRs decreased from 1.40 to 1.27. This difference seems mainly related to a stronger representation of prostate cancers (at lower risk of SPC) and a weaker contribution of bladder and head and neck cancers (at higher risk of SPC) in recent periods of diagnosis. Among females, both SIRs and cmSIRs have remained stable at around 1.22 and 1.21, respectively., Conclusions: The cmSIR is an indicator that is not influenced by changes in first cancer site distribution. Its use should be encouraged to assess second cancer incidence control., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Epidemiological studies on the risk factors for salivary gland cancers (SGC) are rare, concern a small sample size, and show inconsistent results. The aim of the present work was to analyze several risk factors for SGC, using the data from the ICARE study, a multicenter, population-based case-control study., Materials and Methods: Data from 73 SGC cases and 3555 controls were collected using a standardized questionnaire on lifestyle habits, personal and family medical history, and lifetime occupational history. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using unconditional logistic regressions., Results: Tobacco use and alcohol consumption were not associated with the risk of SGC. A history of head and neck cancer or that of cervicofacial radiotherapy was associated with a higher risk of SGC (OR = 17.06, 95% CI: 4.34-67.05, and OR = 31.74, 2.48-405.25, respectively). Significantly increased risks were observed for some occupations: waiter (OR = 2.94, 1.11-7.78), charworker (OR = 3.02, 1.38-6.60), electrical and electronic equipment assembler (OR = 7.16, 2.02-25.38), plumber (OR = 3.95, 1.33-11.67), electric arc welder (OR = 6.15, 1.76-21.48), sheet-metal worker (OR = 2.89, 1.01-8.32), building painter (OR = 3.42, 1.01-11.49), and material handling equipment operator (OR = 5.05, 1.71-14.84). Results for industries were consistent with those observed for occupations., Conclusion: Our results showed that a history of head and neck cancer, cervicofacial radiotherapy, and several occupations and industries, were associated with an increased risk of SGC. Further studies with larger sample sizes are indicated to confirm our results., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident occurred in Ukraine on April 26th 1986. In France, the radioactive fallout and thyroid radiation doses were much lower than in highly contaminated areas. However, a number of risk projections have suggested that a small excess in differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) might occur in eastern France due to this low-level fallout. In order to investigate this potential impact, a case-control study on DTC risk factors was started in 2005, focusing on cases who were less than 15 years old at the time of the Chernobyl accident. Here, we aim to evaluate the relationship between some specific reports of potentially contaminated food between April and June 1986 - in particular fresh dairy products and leafy vegetables - and DTC risk., Methods: After excluding subjects who were not born before the Chernobyl accident, the study included 747 cases of DTC matched with 815 controls. Odds ratios were calculated using conditional logistic regression models and were reported for all participants, for women only, for papillary cancer only, and excluding microcarcinomas., Results: The DTC risk was slightly higher for participants who had consumed locally produced leafy vegetables. However, this association was not stronger in the more contaminated areas than in the others. Conversely, the reported consumption of fresh dairy products was not statistically associated with DTC risk., Conclusion: Because the increase in DTC risk associated with a higher consumption of locally produced vegetables was not more important in the most contaminated areas, our study lacked power to provide evidence for a strong association between consumption of potentially contaminated food and DTC risk., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Despite the frequency and lethality of oral cancers in France, there are no detailed general population data regarding the characteristics of these patients to fuel the public health authorities' reflections about early detection policies. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine, in the general population, the characteristics of both patients and tumours at the time of the diagnosis. A high-resolution, population-based study using 13 French registries was conducted on 1089 tumours diagnosed in 2010. Men accounted for 75% of cases. The most frequent sites were tonsil (28.4%) and oral tongue (21.1%). The median age varied from 56.7 years for floor of mouth to 66.4 years for gum. The lesions were mainly diagnosed on pain and those diagnosed after routine clinical examination were scarce (2.6%). There were 65.5% stage III and IV at diagnosis. Oral tongue, floor of mouth and palate presented tumours less than 2cm only in 34 to 40% of cases. Advanced stage was associated with the presence of comorbidities, and tonsil or base of tongue topography. Stage was not associated with Département, deprivation index or gender. This study provided a picture of the characteristics of oral cancer patients and their tumours and showed that diagnoses are often made late, even for those tumours most easily accessible to direct visual and tactile examination. Nevertheless, it remains to define the target population of an early detection and to evaluate the benefit of such detection on the mortality rate., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Background: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) has been positioned as one of the major endpoints in oncology. Thus, there is a need to validate cancer-site specific survey instruments. This study aimed to perform a transcultural adaptation of the 50-item Expanded Prostate cancer Index Composite (EPIC) questionnaire for HRQoL in prostate cancer patients and to validate the psychometric properties of the French-language version., Methods: The EPIC questionnaire measures urinary, bowel, sexual and hormonal domains. The first step, corresponding to transcultural adaptation of the original English version of the EPIC was performed according to the back translation technique. The second step, comprising the validation of the psychometric properties of the EPIC questionnaire, was performed in patients under treatment for localized prostate cancer (treatment group) and in patients cured of prostate cancer (cured group). The EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-PR25 prostate cancer module were also completed by patients to assess criterion validity. Two assessments were performed, i.e., before and at the end of treatment for the Treatment group, to assess sensitivity to change; and at 2 weeks' interval in the Cured group to assess test-retest reliability. Psychometric properties were explored according to classical test theory., Results: The first step showed overall good acceptability and understanding of the questionnaire. In the second step, 215 patients were included from January 2012 to June 2014: 125 in the Treatment group, and 90 in the Cured group. All domains exhibited good internal consistency, except the bowel domain (Cronbach's α = 0.61). No floor effect was observed. Test-retest reliability assessed in the cured group was acceptable, expect for bowel function (intraclass coefficient = 0.68). Criterion validity was good for each domain and subscale. Construct validity was not demonstrated for the hormonal and bowel domains. Sensitivity to change was exhibited for 5/8 subscales and 2/4 summary scores for patients who experienced toxicities during treatment., Conclusions: The French EPIC questionnaire seems to have adequate psychometric properties, comparable to those exhibited by the original English-language version, except for the construct validity, which was not available in original version.

Objective: The aim of this epidemiological study was to describe the incidence, mortality and survival of ovarian cancer (OC) in France, according to age, period of diagnosis, and histological type., Methods: Incidence and mortality were estimated from 1980 to 2012 based on data in French cancer registries and from the Centre for Epidemiology of Causes of Death (CépiDc-Inserm) up to 2009. Net survival was estimated from registry data using the Pohar-Perme method, on cases diagnosed between 1989 and 2010, with date of last follow-up set at 30 June 2013., Results: In 2012, 4615 cases of OC were diagnosed in France, and 3140 women died from OC. World population age-standardized incidence and mortality rates declined by respectively 0.6% and 1.2% per year between 1980 and 2012. Net survival at 5years increased slightly, from 40% for the period 1989-1993 to 45% for the period 2005-2010. Net survival varied considerably according to histological type. Germ cell tumors had better net survival at 10years (81%) compared to epithelial tumors (32%), sex cord-stromal tumors (40%) and tumors without biopsy (8%)., Conclusions: Our study shows a decline in incidence and mortality rates from ovarian cancer in France between 1980 and 2012, but net survival remains poor overall, and improved only slightly over the whole study period., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The incidence of thyroid cancer has risen over the past decade, along with a rise in obesity. We studied the role of anthropometric risk factors for differentiated thyroid cancer at the time of diagnosis and at age 20 years in a case-control study conducted in eastern France between 2005 and 2010. The study included 761 adults diagnosed with differentiated thyroid cancer before 35 years of age between 2002 and 2006. They were matched with 825 controls from the general population. Odds ratios were calculated using conditional logistic regression models and were reported for all participants, those with papillary cancer only, and women only. The risk of thyroid cancer was higher for participants with a high body surface area (BSA), great height, or excess weight and for women with a high body fat percentage. Conversely, no significant association was found between body mass index and the risk of thyroid cancer. In the present study, we provide further evidence of the role of BSA and excess weight in the risk of thyroid cancer. These epidemiologic observations should be confirmed by further exploration of the biological mechanisms responsible for the associations of obesity and BSA with thyroid cancer., (© The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Unlabelled: The prostate cancer became for two decades the most frequent cancer in men. We describe the evolution of its incidence and mortality from 1980 to 2011 for France., Methods: Incidence data were collected from registries and national incidence estimates were based on the use of mortality as a correlate of incidence., Results: After a very strong increase of incidence between 1980 (24.8/100,000) and 2005 (124.5/100,000), we observe a net decline since (97.7/100,000, in 2011). The reduction began earlier for the old patients. The evolution of mortality is very different. We observe a regular reduction since the end of 1990s (from 18.0/100,000 in 1990 to 10.5/100,000 in 2011). The reduction began earlier for the young patients., Conclusion: This pattern of evolution is observed in all the countries where the use of the PSA had caused an important increase of the diagnosis of prostate cancer., Level of Evidence: 3., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) represents a heterogeneous group of diseases that are known to carry a considerable risk of second primary cancer (SPC). However, little attention has been paid to SPC risk assessment according to NHL subtypes. Data from 10 French population-based cancer registries were used to establish a cohort of 7546 patients with a first diagnosis of NHL (eight subtypes) between 1989 and 2004. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) of metachronous SPC were estimated. Among the 7546 patients diagnosed with a NHL, the overall SPC risk was 25% higher than that in the reference population (SIR = 1.25, 95% confidence interval 1.15-1.36). In univariate analysis, the SPC risk differed by lymphoma subtype. Interestingly, multivariate analysis showed that SPC risk did not differ significantly across NHL subtypes after adjustment for the other covariates (p = 0.786). Patients with NHL have an increased risk of SPC that is not influenced by the histological NHL subtype.

The incidence of thyroid cancer has increased in eastern Europe since the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident. Although the radioactive fallout was much less severe and the thyroid radiation dose was much lower in France, a case-control study was initiated in eastern France. The present study included 633 young women who were diagnosed with differentiated thyroid cancer before 35 years of age between 2002 and 2006 and matched with 677 controls. Face-to-face interviews were conducted from 2005 to 2010. Odds ratios were calculated using conditional logistic regressions and were reported in the total group and by histopathological type of cancer ("only papillary" and "excluding microcarcinomas"). The risk of thyroid cancer was higher in women who had a higher number of pregnancies, used a lactation suppressant, or had early menarche. Conversely, breastfeeding, oral contraceptive use, and late age at first pregnancy were associated with a lower risk of thyroid cancer. No association was observed between thyroid cancer and having irregular menstrual cycle, undergoing treatment for menstrual cycle regularity shortly after menarche, having a cessation of menstruation, use of another contraceptive, history of miscarriage or abortion for the first pregnancy, or having had gestational diabetes. This study confirms the role of hormonal and reproductive factors in thyroid cancer, and our results support the fact that exposure to estrogens increases thyroid cancer risk., (© The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

The objective of this work was to detail the incidence and mortality trends of invasive and in situ breast cancer (BC) in France, especially regarding the development of screening, over the 1990-2008 period. Data issued from nine population-based cancer registries were studied. The incidence of invasive BC increased annually by 0.8 % from 1990 to 1996 and more markedly by 3.2 % from 1996 to 2003, and then sharply decreased until 2006 (-2.3 % per year), especially among women aged 50-69 years (-4.9 % per year). This trend was similar whatever the introduction date of the organized screening (OS) program in the different areas. The incidence of ductal carcinoma in situ steadily increased between 1990 and 2005, particularly among women aged 50-69 years and 70 and older. At the same time, the mortality from BC decreased annually by 1.1 % over the entire study period. This decrease was more pronounced in women aged 40-49 and 50-69 and, during the 1990-1999 period, in the areas where OS began in 1989-1991. The similarity in the incidence trends for all periods of implementation of OS in the different areas was striking. This suggests that OS alone does not explain the changes observed in incidence rate. Our study highlights the importance of closely monitoring the changes in incidence and mortality indicators, and of better understanding the factors causing variation.

Introduction: An increased incidence of asthma has been reported among healthcare workers. The role of quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs), commonly used in cleaning/disinfection products, has not been clearly defined. The aim of this study was to analyse associations between asthma and occupational exposure to disinfectants, especially QACs., Methods: The study was performed on a stratified random sample of the various healthcare departments of 7 healthcare settings. The study included: questionnaire, physical examination and specific IgE assays. Occupational exposure assessment was performed by means of a work questionnaire, workplace studies and a review of products ingredients. Data were analysed by logistic regression., Results: Response rate was 77%; 543 workers (89% female) participated; 37.1% were registered nurses (RNs), 16.4% auxiliary nurses (ANs), 17.3% cleaners; 32.8% were atopic. 335 participants were exposed to QACs. Nursing professionals reported a significantly higher risk of reported physician-diagnosed asthma and, for RNs, of nasal symptoms at work than administrative staff working in healthcare sector. This risk was particularly marked during disinfection tasks and when exposure to QACs. Exposure to QACs increased significantly the risk of reported physician-diagnosed asthma and nasal symptoms at work (adjusted OR = 7.5 and 3.2, respectively). No significant association was found with other exposures such as latex glove use, chlorinated products/bleach or glutaraldehyde., Conclusion: RNs and ANs presented a higher risk of reported asthma than administrative staff. The highest risk was associated with tasks involving dilution of disinfection products by manual mixing, suggesting possible exposure to repeated peaks of concentrated products known to be strong respiratory irritants. Workplace interventions should be conducted to more clearly determine QAC exposure and improve disinfection procedures., (© 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Although cancer survivors are known to be at greater risk of developing second primary cancer (SPC), SPC incidence estimates in France are thus far lacking. We used a multivariate approach to compute these estimates and analyzed the effect of patient characteristics (gender, age at diagnosis, first cancer site, year of diagnosis and follow-up) on SPC risk., Methods: Data from ten French population-based cancer registries were used to establish a cohort of all patients diagnosed with a first cancer between 1989 and 2004 and followed up until December 31, 2007. The person-year approach was used to estimate standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) and excess absolute risks (EARs) of metachronous SPC. Multivariate Poisson regression models were then used to model SIRs and EARs separately by gender, adjusting for age, year of diagnosis, follow-up and first cancer site., Results: Among the 289,967 followed-up patients with a first primary cancer, 21,226 developed a SPC. The SIR was of 1.36 (95% CI, 1.35-1.38) and the EAR was of 39.4 excess cancers per 10,000 person-years (95% CI, 37.4-41.3). Among male and female patients, multivariate analyses showed that age, year of diagnosis, follow-up and first cancer site were often independently associated with SIRs and EARs. Moreover, the EAR of SPC remained elevated during patient follow-up., Conclusions: French cancer survivors face a dramatically increased risk of SPC which is probably related to the high rate of tobacco and alcohol consumption in France. Multivariate modeling of SPC risk will facilitate the construction of a tailored prediction tool to optimize SPC prevention and early detection strategies.

In the French national health insurance information system (SNIIR-AM), routine records of health claimed reimbursements are linked to hospital admissions for the whole French population. The main focus of this work is the usability of this system for vaccine safety assessment programme. Self-controlled case series analyses were performed using an exhaustive SNIIR-AM extraction of French children aged less than 3 years, to investigate the relationship between MMR immunization and children hospitalizations for febrile convulsions, a well-documented rare adverse event, over 2009-2010. The results suggest a significant increase of febrile convulsions during the 6-11 days period following any MMR immunization (IRR=1.49, 95% CI=1.22, 1.83; p=0.0001) and no increase 15-35 days post any MMR immunization (IRR=1.03, 95% CI=0.89, 1.18; p=0.72). These results are in accordance with other results obtained from large epidemiologic studies, which suggest the usability of the SNIIR-AM as a relevant database to study the occurrence of adverse events associated with immunization. For future use, results associated with risk of convulsion during the day of vaccination should nevertheless be considered with particular caution., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Present national estimations of the incidence and mortality trends in urological cancers in France between 1980 and 2012., Material and Methods: Francim database and French Register of Cancers., Results: Analysis of the current data shows a regular increase of the incidence of renal cancer in men and women (7,781 cases in men and 3,792 in women in 2012). For bladder cancer, trends are divergent. There is a small reduction in incidence for men and an increase for women (9,549 cases in men and 2,416 in women in 2012). Testicular cancer is still increasing slightly (2,317 incidental cases in 2012). The incidence of prostate cancer experienced a huge increase up until 2005, and thereafter it decreased sharply, though it is difficult to discern whether this drop (which was observed up until 2008) continued at the same rate after that point (56,841 incidences in 2012 based on the rates calculated for 2009)., Conclusion: The analyses by organ database show that there are significant variations in the incidence of urological cancers, particularly for prostate cancer, which shows that both the natural history of urological tumours and the methods of detection have an impact on incidence., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Importance: Life expectancy is increasing in most developed countries, and elderly people have the highest incidence of melanoma., Objective: To identify characteristics of melanoma and its management in the elderly compared with younger patients., Design, Setting, and Participants: Retrospective population-based study of incident cases of primary melanoma in 1621 patients with stage I or II melanoma in 2004 and 2008. Questionnaires administered to physicians and a survey of cancer registries and pathology laboratories were used to obtain data. The study was conducted in 5 regions in northeastern France., Main Outcomes and Measures: Characteristics of patients and tumors, circumstances of diagnosis, and further management in older patients (≥70 years, 487 patients [30.0%]) compared with younger ones (<70 years, 1134 [70.0%])., Results: Older patients had more frequent melanomas of the head and neck (29.4% vs 8.7%; P < .001) and of the nodular, lentigo maligna, or acral lentiginous histologic subtypes. They had thicker and more frequently ulcerated tumors, categorized as T3 or T4 in 36.7% of cases vs 20.1% in younger patients. Diagnosis of melanoma occurred more frequently in a general practice setting and less frequently in direct consultation with a dermatologist or regular screening for skin cancer. Time to definitive excision was longer in older patients, and 16.8% of them compared with 5.0% of the younger population had insufficient excision margins (P < .001). A sentinel lymph node biopsy was performed in 23.3% of the older patients with melanoma thicker than 1 mm vs 41.4% in the younger patients (P < .001). Adjuvant therapy was less frequently started in older patients and was prematurely stopped in a higher proportion of that population., Conclusions and Relevance: Age-related variations are observed at every step of melanoma management. The most important concerns are access of elderly people to settings for early diagnosis and excision with appropriate margins.

Waiting times are key indicators of a health's system performance, but are not routinely available in France. We studied waiting times for diagnosis and treatment according to patients' characteristics, tumours' characteristics and medical management options in a sample of 1494 breast cancers recorded in population-based registries. The median waiting time from the first imaging detection to the treatment initiation was 34 days. Older age, co-morbidity, smaller size of tumour, detection by organised screening, biopsy, increasing number of specimens removed, multidisciplinary consulting meetings and surgery as initial treatment were related to increased waiting times in multivariate models. Many of these factors were related to good practices guidelines. However, the strong influence of organised screening programme and the disparity of waiting times according to geographical areas were of concern. Better scheduling of diagnostic tests and treatment propositions should improve waiting times in the management of breast cancer in France., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To investigate the associations between occupations and head and neck (HN) cancer risk in men., Methods: ICARE is a French population-based case-control study on HN cancer. Analyses included 1833 cases and 2747 controls. Complete occupational history was collected. Odds ratios (ORs) were estimated for occupations and industries ever held and according to duration of employment., Results: Elevated ORs, increasing with duration of employment, were observed for several occupations, including cleaners (OR = 1.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0 to 2.8), launderers (OR = 6.8; CI, 1.3 to 34.4), firefighters (OR = 3.9; CI, 1.4 to 11.2), several agricultural occupations, welders (OR = 1.9; CI, 1.3 to 2.8), structural metal preparers and erectors (OR = 2.1; CI, 1.2 to 3.7), rubber workers (OR = 2.0; CI, 1.0 to 3.9), several construction occupations, and material-handling equipment operators (OR = 1.8; CI, 1.1 to 2.9). Analyses by industry corroborated these findings., Conclusions: These results confirmed the role of occupational exposures in HN cancer.

Purpose: Biological markers are crucial factors in order to differentiate female breast cancers and to determine the right therapy. This study aims at evaluating whether testing for biomarkers for female breast cancer has similar frequency and characteristics across and within countries., Methods: Population-based cancer registries of the Association for cancer registration and epidemiology in Romance language countries (GRELL) were asked to complete a questionnaire on biomarkers testing. The data collected referred to invasive female breast cancer cases diagnosed between 2004 and 2009. The investigation focused on 1) the overexpression and amplification of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 oncogene (HER2); 2) the expression of oestrogen (ER) and progesterone (PgR) receptors; and 3) the proliferation index (PI). Weighted percentages, the heterogeneity among and within countries, and the correlation between responses and calendar years were evaluated. The study was based on 19,644 breast cancers., Results: Overall, 85.9% of the cases were tested for HER2, 91.8% for both ER and PgR, and 74.1% for proliferative markers. For HER2 and ER-PgR, the frequency of testing increased from 2004 to 2009. Testing varied among countries (HER2 from 82.0% to 95.9%, ER-PgR from 89.3% to 98.9%, PI from 10% to 92%) and also within the same country (e.g. HER2 in Italy from 51% to 99%) as well as within single cancer registries. The most relevant differences were in the scores for positive/negative/not clearly defined HER2 (e.g. HER2 was defined positive if IHC 3+ in 21/33 registries), and in the cut-off of positive cells for ER/PgR (from >0% to >30%) and PI positivity (from >0% to >20%)., Conclusions: Biological markers are widely tested in the Romance language countries; however, the parameters defining their positivity may vary, raising concerns about homogeneity in breast cancer classification and treatment., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To estimate the magnitude of over-diagnosis and of potential and actual over-treatment regarding prostate cancer, taking comorbidities into account., Materials and Methods: We used a sample collected by the French cancer registries of 1840 cases (T1: 583; T2: 1257) diagnosed in 2001. The proportion of over-diagnosed and over-treated patients was estimated by comparing life expectancy (LE), including or not comorbidities, with natural LE with cancer, using several assumptions from the literature. We distinguished potential and actual over-treatment according to the treatment that patients actually received., Results: Among patients with T1 tumors the proportion of potential over-treatment using LE adjusted for comorbidity varied from 29.5% to 53.5%, using LE adjusted on comorbidities, and varied from 9.3% to 22.2% regarding actual over-treatment. Between 7.7% and 24.4% of patient's receiving a radical prostatectomy, and between 30.8% and 62.5% of those receiving radiotherapy, were over-treated. Among patients with T2 tumors, the proportions of potential and actual over-treatment were 0.9% and 2.0%. Two per cent of patients receiving a radical prostatectomy and 4.9% of those receiving radiotherapy were over-treated. Comorbidities dramatically increased these proportions to nearly 100% of patients, with more than two comorbidities being potentially over-treated and around 33% actually over-treated., Conclusions: According to the French incidence, 3200-4800 French patients may be over-treated, among whom a large proportion of patients had comorbidities. The real issue is to offer the most appropriate treatment to people with low-grade tumors and comorbidities., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Results on the relationship between coffee and tea drinking and the risk of oral cavity cancer are contrasted. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relation between coffee and tea drinking and the risk of oral cavity cancer in France, a high incidence area., Material and Methods: We conducted a population based case-control study with face-to-face interviews and standardized questionnaires (the ICARE study, Investigation of occupational and environmental causes of respiratory cancers). We used data from 689 cases of oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma and 3481 controls. Odds-ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) associated with tea and coffee consumption (quantity, duration, cumulative consumption) were estimated by unconditional logistic regression with adjustment for age, gender, area of residence, education, body mass index, tobacco smoking and alcohol drinking., Results: We observed inverse associations between oral cavity cancer and tea or coffee consumption (odds ratio, 0.39; 95% CI 0.21-0.70, for the highest quartile of tea consumption, and 0.60, 95% CI 0.34-1.05, for the highest quartile of coffee consumption). Exclusive tea or coffee consumption was associated with a reduced risk of oral cavity cancer and their joint effect was multiplicative. No differences in risk between men and women or between consumers of tobacco and alcohol and non-consumers were observed. The odds ratios related to the subsites usually included in the oropharynx (soft palate and base of the tongue) did not differ significantly from that observed for the other subsites of the oral cavity., Conclusions: Tea and coffee drinking may decrease the risk of oral cavity cancer through antioxidant components which play a role in the repair of cellular damages. These findings need further investigation in prospective studies and the underlying mechanisms in humans remain to be clarified., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study aimed to describe cancer incidence (2000-2008) and survival (2000-2004) in France in adolescents and young adults (AYA). All cases of cancer diagnosed in 15-24 years, recorded by all French population-based registries (14% of the French population), over the 2000-2008 period, were included. Incidence change over time was described with the conventional annual percentage change (cAPC). The survival of cases diagnosed (2000-2004) was estimated using Kaplan-Meier method. A total of 1022 in adolescents and 1396 in young adults were diagnosed. Overall incidence rates were 219.4/10(6) in 15-19 year olds and 293.1/10(6) in 20-24 year olds. The most frequently diagnosed cancers in male AYA were malignant gonadal germ-cell tumors and Hodgkin's disease, and were melanoma, thyroid carcinoma, and Hodgkin's disease in females. The age-standardized rates appeared stable over time in AYA, with a cAPC of +2.0% (P = 0.68). The 5-year overall survival for all cancers was different between genders and age groups, with 78.8% (95%CI: 75.6-82.0) for males and 85.2% (95%CI: 82.2-88.1) for females (P = 0.01), and 78.5% (95%CI: 75.0-82.1) in 15-19 year olds and 84.3% (95% CI: 81.6-87.0) in 20-24 year olds (P = 0.02). Noteworthy, the frequency and the distribution of tumor types in AYA are unique and different from the observed at any other age group. Survival in French AYA has improved over time. Epidemiological data might reflect major trends in the risk factors and preventive interventions. Thus, further research into etiology of cancers affecting AYA should become key priorities for cancer control among AYA.

Background: The IOFS (Impact On Family Scale) questionnaire is a useful instrument to assess the impact of chronic childhood conditions on general family quality of life. As this instrument was not validated in French, we proposed to translate, adapt and validate the IOFS questionnaire for clinical and research use in French-speaking populations., Findings: The sample studied comprised French-speaking parents with a child presenting a cleft lip or cleft lip and palate, aged 6 to 12 years and treated in the University Hospital of Strasbourg, France. The 15-item version of the IOFS was translated into French and then sent to the parents by post. The structure of the measure was studied using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient and test-retest reliability was studied by calculating the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC)., Conclusions: The French version of the IOFS questionnaire exhibited very good psychometric properties. For practitioners, this instrument will facilitate the assessment of the impact of chronic childhood conditions on quality of life among French-speaking families.

Purpose: To characterize response shift effects in patients with breast cancer (BC)., Methods: The QLQ-C30, BR23, and EurQOL-EQ-5D were assessed at baseline and at the end of the first hospitalization. We used the then-test approach to characterize changes in internal standards by calculating the mean difference between the then-test (retrospective measure) and pre-test baseline QoL assessments. The Ideal Scale Approach was also used to assess changes in standards by comparing health and QoL expectancies between baseline and the end of the first hospitalization. Successive Comparison Approach was used to assess changes in values through the longitudinal assessment of the relative importance of EuroQOL dimensions., Results: The results of this study showed that recalibration RS effects occurred early after the first hospitalization for 6/15 dimensions of QLQ-C30 (emotional, cognitive, fatigue, insomnia, appetite loss, diarrhea) and 2/8 of BR-23 (future perspective, systemic therapy side effects). Moreover, health and QoL expectancies changed between the baseline and the end of the first hospitalization, and changes in values were seen for the self-care and usual activities dimensions of the EuroQOL-EQ-5D., Conclusions: The occurrence of RS early after the first hospitalization suggests that it needs to be taken into account to interpret QoL changes in BC.

Objectives: Patients with a head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) carry a high risk of second primary cancer (SPC). In recent years, a rise in incidence of human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated HNSCC has been recorded. Moreover, tobacco and alcohol consumption levels have changed and major advances have been made in radiation treatment approaches. This raises the question of a modification to the risk of SPC, taking into account variations of patient characteristics related to the HPV-cancer epidemic., Materials and Methods: All patients with a first HNSCC diagnosed between 1975 and 2006 in the French Bas-Rhin region were followed up for 10 years. Multivariate Poisson regression models were used to model standardized incidence rates and excess absolute risks (EARs) over years of diagnosis, taking into account confounders such as sex, age, subsite of first HNSCC and follow-up., Results: Among these 6258 patients, 1326 presented with a SPC. High EAR values were observed for SPC of lung, head and neck, and esophagus sites (EAR of 172.8, 159.3 and 72.5 excess cancers per 10,000 person-years, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that the excess risk of SPC of head and neck (P<.001) and esophagus (P=.029) sites decreased, with 53% lower EARs values in 2000-2006 compared to 1975-1979. In contrast, the excess risk of SPC of the lung did not change significantly (P=.174)., Conclusions: Efforts made by public health policy-makers and oncology care providers should be sustained to develop effective smoking cessation interventions, as the excess risk of lung SPC remains high and unchanged., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Little data are available concerning the role of general practitioners (GPs) in the diagnosis of melanoma., Objectives: To evaluate the actual role of GPs in a population-based study covering five regions of France and 8·2 million inhabitants., Materials and Methods: A survey of cancer registries and pathology laboratories, and questionnaires to practitioners were used to identify incident melanomas in 2008, and evaluate characteristics of patients (age, sex, area of residence, social isolation), tumours (Breslow, ulceration, location, histological type), and GPs (training, conditions of practice), and their influence on patterns of diagnosis and Breslow thickness., Results: Among 898 melanomas, 376 (42%) were first diagnosed in a general practice setting (GP group). Breslow thickness was much higher in the GP group than in other melanomas (median: 0·95 vs. 0·61 mm, P < 0·0001). Multivariate analysis identified an older age, lower limb location, nodular subtype and Breslow thickness as factors associated with the GP group. Within this group, 52·5% of melanomas were detected by patients (median Breslow thickness: 1·30 mm) and 47·5% by GPs (median Breslow thickness: 0·80 mm, P = 0·0009), including 8% during a systematic full-body skin examination. Previous GP training on melanoma was associated with active detection by GPs. Male sex and social isolation of patients were associated with thicker melanomas, whereas active detection by GPs was associated with thinner CMs., Conclusions: GPs play a key role in melanoma diagnosis in France, but still frequently detect thick tumours. Increasing awareness and training of GPs and focusing attention on male and/or socially isolated patients should help to improve early detection of melanoma., (© 2012 The Authors. BJD © 2012 British Association of Dermatologists.)

Objective: To identify clinical and sociodemographic factors associated with very thick melanoma (VTM) (Breslow thickness, 3 mm) in France., Design: Retrospective, population-based, case-case study using a survey of cancer registries and questionnaires to practitioners., Setting: Five regions covering 19.2% of the French territory and 8.2 million inhabitants., Cases: Cases included all incident melanomas with a Breslow thickness of 3 mm or greater (ie, VTM), diagnosed between January 1 and December 31, 2008, in residents of the study area (Alsace, Bourgogne, Champagne-Ardenne, Franche-Comte', and Lorraine, France), and a randomly selected sample of melanomas thinner than 3 mm., Main Outcome Measures: Circumstances of diagnosis,clinical and pathological characteristics of melanomas,and sociodemographic characteristics of patients(age, sex, residence, home and family life conditions, educational level, and smoking habits)., Results: Among 898 melanomas, 149 (16.6%) were VTMs. Very thick melanomas were more often diagnosed in a general-practice setting than thinner melanomas.The rate of immediate clinical recognition by dermatologists was lower for VTMs than for thinner melanomas. In a multivariate logistic regression analysis,factors associated with VTM were the nodular and acrolentiginous types; the head and neck and lower limb locations; older age; male sex; and being single, separated,divorced, or widowed. When only factors related to patients were taken into account, older age, male sex,and living alone were independent risk factors for VTM.The most significant risk was observed for patients living alone., Conclusions: Intrinsic factors related to the tumor and socio demographic characteristics of patients contribute to the occurrence of VTM. These factors should be better targeted in future secondary prevention programs.

Purpose: The use of drugs in France is among the highest in developed countries. Among them, psychotropic medication in children has always been a matter of concern. Furthermore, on the basis of concerns about safety and efficacy, international authorities have either advised against the use of cough and cold medication or considered such an action. This survey aims to assess the prevalence of use of psychotropic drugs, antihistamines and medications for cough as well as parents' knowledge about the drugs used in 2009., Methods: The study is based on a representative sample of 6-year-old children who were in kindergarten in 2009. School physicians asked their parents to answer a standardized questionnaire. Data were collected about the child, his or her family, and the consumption of psychotropic drugs, antihistamines, and medications for cough in the past 12 months. The Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification system was used to classify the drugs used., Results: The data from 5707 children were analyzed. The proportion of children who consumed at least one psychotropic drug was 0.68% (ATC code N). Antihistamines for systemic use were by far the most frequently consumed drugs (ATC code R06), with a prevalence of 17.54%. The great majority of antihistamines for systemic use were meant to treat cough, not insomnia or agitation., Conclusion: The use of psychotropic drugs was low in 2009 in the French region of Bas-Rhin. The promotion of alternatives to antihistamines for systemic use to treat cough should nevertheless be strengthened., (Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

A registry of posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLD) was set up for the entire population of adult kidney transplant recipients in France. Cases of PTLD were prospectively enrolled between January 1, 1998, and December 31, 2007. Ten-year cumulative incidence was analyzed in patients transplanted after January 1, 1989. PTLD risk factors were analyzed in patients transplanted after January 1, 1998 by Cox analysis. Cumulative incidence was 1% after 5 years, 2.1% after 10 years. Multivariate analysis showed that PTLD was significantly associated with: older age of the recipient 47-60 years and >60 years (vs. 33-46 years, adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) = 1.87, CI = 1.22-2.86 and AHR = 2.80, CI = 1.73-4.55, respectively, p < 0.0001), simultaneous kidney-pancreas transplantation (AHR = 2.52, CI = 1.27-5.01 p = 0.008), year of transplant 1998-1999 and 2000-2001 (vs. 2006-2007, AHR = 3.36, CI = 1.64-6.87 and AHR = 3.08, CI = 1.55-6.15, respectively, p = 0.003), EBV mismatch (HR = 5.31, CI = 3.36-8.39, p < 0.001), 5 or 6 HLA mismatches (vs. 0-4, AHR = 1.54, CI = 1.12-2.12, p = 0.008), and induction therapy (AHR = 1.42, CI = 1-2.02, p = 0.05). Analyses of subgroups of PTLD provided new information about PTLD risk factors for early, late, EBV positive and negative, polymorphic, monomorphic, graft and cerebral lymphomas. This nationwide study highlights the increased risk of PTLD as long as 10 years after transplantation and the role of cofactors in modifying PTLD risk, particularly in specific PTLD subgroups., (© copyright 2011 The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.)

Population-based studies on quality of life (QOL) of long-term breast cancer survivors are quite recent and insufficient attention has been paid to the effect of time since diagnosis. We compared long-term QOL of population-based breast cancer survivors 5, 10, and 15 years after diagnosis with that of healthy controls. Breast cancer survivors were randomly selected from three population-based cancer registries (Bas-Rhin, Calvados and Doubs, France) along with healthy controls, stratified for age and place of residence, randomly selected from electoral rolls. Participants completed five self-administered questionnaires: the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30), Short Form-36 (SF-36), Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI) and a life conditions questionnaire. An analysis of variance was used to compare QOL scores of breast cancer survivors by period (5, 10, or 15 years) of diagnosis with those of controls, adjusted for sociodemographic data and comorbidities. Six hundred and fifty-two cases and 1,188 controls participated in the study. For many QOL scales, scores were significantly different between cancer survivors and controls. A clinically significant difference was evidenced for the fatigue scales, the SF36 physical functioning, role-physical, and role-emotional scales, with more favorable results for controls. Differences decreased with time and 15-year cancer survivors were generally not different from controls. Scores were particularly influenced by age and mean household income. More efforts should be made, specifically during the first 5 to 10 years after diagnosis, to help women with breast cancer to overcome their impairment in QOL.

Introduction: We had for objective to describe the updated epidemiology of oral cancers in France., Material and Methods: Estimates made from data collected from various French cancer institutions. The distribution by topography, histology, regions, mean age, and specific incidence rates were calculated from the collected data. The survival data was taken from the Francim network studies., Results: Approximately 7000 oral cavity cancers were diagnosed in France in 2005. In 2007, 1746 people died of that cancer. Standardized (world population) incidence rates are respectively, in men and women, 12.3 and 3.0 cases per 100,000 person-years. These cancers have significantly decreased in men: the standardized incidence rate decreased by 43.2% between 1980 and 2005. Among women, the trend is reversed with an increased incidence of 51.7% over the same period., Conclusion: In France, the incidence of oral cavity cancers has been strongly decreasing in men and strongly increasing in women. This trend should be compared to the frequency of the main risk factors: alcohol and tobacco., (Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.)

French uterine cancer recordings in death certificates include 60% of "uterine cancer, Not Otherwise Specified (NOS)"; this hampers the estimation of mortalities from cervix and corpus uteri cancers. The aims of this work were to study the reliability of uterine cancer recordings in death certificates using a case matching with cancer registries and estimate age-specific proportions of deaths from cervix and corpus uteri cancers among all uterine cancer deaths by a statistical approach that uses incidence and survival data. Deaths from uterine cancer between 1989 and 2001 were extracted from the French National database of causes of death and case-to-case matched to women diagnosed with uterine cancer between 1989 and 1997 in 8 cancer registries. Registry data were considered as "gold-standard". Among the 1825 matched deaths, cancer registries recorded 830 cervix and 995 corpus uteri cancers. In death certificates, 5% and 40% of "true" cervix cancers were respectively coded "corpus" and "uterus, NOS" and 5% and 59% of "true" corpus cancers respectively coded "cervix" and "uterus, NOS". Miscoding cervix cancers was more frequent at advanced ages at death and in deaths at home or in small urban areas. Miscoding corpus cancers was more frequent in deaths at home or in small urban areas. From the statistical method, the estimated proportion of deaths from cervix cancer among all uterine cancer deaths was higher than 95% in women aged 30-40 years old but declined to 35% in women older than 70 years. The study clarifies the reason for poor encoding of uterus cancer mortality and refines the estimation of mortalities from cervix and corpus uteri cancers allowing future studies on the efficacy of cervical cancer screening., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Little is known about the economic burden of pretherapeutic staging of patients presenting colorectal cancer metastases., Objective: The aim of this study was to estimate the cost of pretherapeutic staging and identify cost determinants for 132 patients presenting colorectal metastases and living in the north-east of France., Method: Staging cost was estimated using direct medical costs from the point of view of the French Health Insurance System. Independent factors were identified using a linear regression model, and bootstrap resampling was used to estimate unbiased standard errors and 95% confidence intervals., Results: The overall mean cost for pretherapeutic staging was estimated to be 1534€ [95% CI: 1250€-1818€]. Staging costs increased significantly with the number of medical procedures performed during the staging, and according to health care patterns (in-patient hospital stay versus out-patient episodes, public versus private care)., Conclusion: These results could now be used to estimate the impact of new imaging techniques on clinical practices and pretherapeutic staging costs., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Over the 1998-2002 period, some French Départements have been shown to have the world's highest incidence of upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) cancers in men. The objectives were to describe the changes in UADT cancer incidence in France over the 1980-2005 period, present projections for 2010, and describe the anatomical and histological characteristics of these tumours. The trend of cancer-incidence over 1980-2005 and projection up to 2010 were obtained using age-period-cohort models (data from eleven cancer registries) and incidence/mortality ratios in the area covered by these registries. The description of UADT cancers by anatomical and histological characteristics concerned data collected between 1980 and 2004 in eleven cancer registries. In men, cancer incidence decreased in all cancer sites and the world-standardized incidence rates decreased by 42.9% for lip-oral cavity-pharynx (LOCP) cancers and 50.4% for larynx cancer. In women, the world-standardized incidence rates increased by 48.6% for LOCP cancers and 66.7% for larynx cancer. Incidence increased the most for oropharynx, palate, and hypopharynx cancers. Incidence analysis by one-year cohorts revealed a progressive shift of the incidence peak towards younger and younger generations, with no change as yet in the mean age at diagnosis. In France, the incidence of these cancers is still higher than in other European and North American countries. This urges actions towards reducing the major risk factors for those cancers, namely alcohol and tobacco consumption, especially among young people, and reducing exposure to risk factors due to social inequalities., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)