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The Global Initiative for Cancer Registry Development partnership, led by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), was established in response to an overwhelming need for high-quality cancer incidence data from low-income and middle-income countries. The IARC Regional Hub for cancer registration in North Africa, Central and West Asia was founded in 2013 to support capacity building for cancer registration in each of the countries in this region. In this Series paper, we advocate the necessity for tailored approaches to cancer registration given the rapidly changing cancer landscape for this region, and the challenges faced at a national level in developing data systems to help support this process given present disparities in resources and health infrastructure. In addition, we provide an overview of the status of cancer surveillance and activities country-by-country, documenting tailored approaches that are informing local cancer-control policy, and potentially curbing the growing cancer burden across the region.

Background/aimsThere are wide variations in colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence across the world. Historically, the highest incidence rates have been reported historically in more developed countries; however, increasing trends have been seen in developing countries. Here, we present the CRC incidence pattern in Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, and İzmir, Turkey, which are countries of the Middle East Cancer Consortium (MECC).Materials and methodsWe analyzed 2005-2010 CRC data from population-based registries and calculated crude and age standardized rates for CRC, colon and rectum subsites, and annual percent changes (APCs) for trends.ResultsThe age-adjusted incidence rates (AAIRs) for CRC were the highest in Israeli Jews (IJ) (46.7 for males and 35.5 for females), which exceeded those of the USA Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result (SEER) program registries. In both sexes, AAIRs in Cyprus and Israeli Arabs (IA) were close to those in SEER registries. For both sexes, AAIRs in İzmir and Jordan were substantially lower than those in other registries. Statistically significant decreasing trends over time were observed in AAIRs for both sexes in the SEER program (APCs: males, -3.24% and females, -2.54%), whereas the trends varied within the MECC registries. There were decreasing AAIR trends for males in IJ and IA and for females in Cyprus and IJ; APC for females in IJ (-4.29%) was significant. Conversely, increasing trends with the significant APCs were observed in males in İzmir (2.43%) and Jordan (7.57%).ConclusionMECC countries comprise both high- and low-risk populations for CRCs. However, increasing trends in low-risk populations have been alarming. Thus, the need for implementing tailored primary and secondary prevention programs in the region is essential.

BACKGROUND: Unique features and worse outcomes have been reported for cancers among adolescents and young adults (AYAs; 15-39 years old). The aim of this study was to explore the mortality and survival patterns of malignant central nervous system (CNS) tumors among AYAs in Southern-Eastern Europe (SEE) in comparison with the US Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program. METHODS: Malignant CNS tumors diagnosed in AYAs during the period spanning 1990-2014 were retrieved from 14 population-based cancer registries in the SEE region (n = 11,438). Age-adjusted mortality rates were calculated and survival patterns were evaluated via Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression analyses, and they were compared with respective 1990-2012 figures from SEER (n = 13,573). RESULTS: Mortality rates in SEE (range, 11.9-18.5 deaths per million) were higher overall than the SEER rate (9.4 deaths per million), with decreasing trends in both regions. Survival rates increased during a comparable period (2001-2009) in SEE and SEER. The 5-year survival rate was considerably lower in the SEE registries (46%) versus SEER (67%), mainly because of the extremely low rates in Ukraine; this finding was consistent across age groups and diagnostic subtypes. The highest 5-year survival rates were recorded for ependymomas (76% in SEE and 92% in SEER), and the worst were recorded for glioblastomas and anaplastic astrocytomas (28% in SEE and 37% in SEER). Advancing age, male sex, and rural residency at diagnosis adversely affected outcomes in both regions. CONCLUSIONS: Despite definite survival gains over the last years, the considerable outcome disparities between the less affluent SEE region and the United States for AYAs with malignant CNS tumors point to health care delivery inequalities. No considerable prognostic deficits for CNS tumors are evident for AYAs versus children. (c) 2017 American Cancer Society.

It is important that population-based cancer registries provide accurate and reliable data for public health purposes. These data are essential data for planning of cancer control and prevention. In this study, we examined cancer incidence rates (year 2005-2010) in four MECC registries (Cyprus, Jordan, Israel, Izmir (Turkey)) and compared with the rates in the US. The overall age-standardized incidence rates for males were highest in the US followed by Israeli Jews, Izmir (Turkey), Cyprus, Israeli Arabs, and lowest in Jordan. In women the rates of cancer of all sites were also highest in US women followed by Israeli Jews, Cyprus, Israeli Arabs, Izmir (Turkey), and lowest in Jordan. It is of interest that although site-specific cancer rates differ between the countries studied, prostate, lung and colorectal cancers are within the five most common cancers males in all countries studied. In females, breast colorectal and endometrium cancers are three of the five most common cancers in females in all countries studied. The results presented in this paper can have implications for opportunities in cancer control and prevention in these countries. Future studies on individual cancer sites with highest rates in these Countries are currently underway.