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Background Despite the relatively low breast cancer incidence in Estonia, mortality remains high, and participation in mammography screening is below the recommended 70%. The objective of this register-based study was to evaluate incidence-based (IB) breast cancer mortality before and after the introduction of organized mammography screening in 2004. Methods Breast cancer deaths individually linked to breast cancer diagnosis were obtained from the Estonian Cancer Registry and used for calculating IB mortality. We compared age-specific IB mortality rates across 5-year birth cohorts and 5-year periods. Poisson regression was used to compare IB mortality for one age group invited to screening (50-63) and three age groups not invited to screening (30-49, 65-69, and 70+) during two periods before and after screening initiation (1993-2003 and 2004-2014). Joinpoint regression was used for age-standardized incidence and IB mortality trends. Results Age-standardized IB mortality has been decreasing since 1997. Age-specific IB mortality for birth cohorts never exposed to screening showed a continuous increase with age, while in cohorts exposed to organized screening the mortality curve flattened or declined after the age of first invitation. Significant decreases in mortality from 1993-2003 to 2004-2014 were seen in the 30-49 (age-adjusted rate ratio 0.51, 95% CI 90.42-0.63) and 50-63 (0.65, 95% CI 0.56-0.74) age groups, while no decline was seen in the 65-69 and 70+ age groups. Conclusions The age specific IB mortality curves in birth cohorts exposed to screening and the significant mortality decline in the target age group after the initiation of the organized program suggest a beneficial effect of screening. Improved treatment without screening has not reduced mortality in older age groups. Our results support raising the upper screening age limit to 74 years.

ObjectivesTo investigate differences in lung cancer (LC) management and survival using data from European population cancer registries.MethodsWe analysed 4,602 lung cancer cases diagnosed in 2010–2013, followed-up to 2019 in five countries. Multivariable logistic regression was used to calculate the Odds Ratio (OR) of surgery for stages I–II LC or chemo- or radiotherapy for stages III–IV LC. Relative survival (RS) was estimated by the actuarial method; Relative Excess Risk of death (RER), with 95% CI, was calculated by generalized linear models.ResultsDiagnostic work-up was extensive for 65.9% patients (range 57%, Estonia, Portugal - 85% (Belgium). Sixty-six percent of stages I–II patients underwent surgery; compared to non-operated, their adjusted OR decreased with age and was associated with main bronchus cancer (OR vs. lobes 0.25, CI, 0.08–0.82), stage II (OR vs. stage I: 0.42, CI, 0.29–0.60), comorbidity (OR vs. absent: 0.55, CI, 0.33–0.93), country (ORs: Estonia 1.82, CI, 1.28–2.60; Belgium 0.62, CI, 0.42–0.91; Portugal 0.69, CI, 0.52–0.93).Almost half of stages III–IV patients received chemo- or radiotherapy only; the adjusted OR vs. non receiving decreased with age and was associated with unspecified cancer topography or morphology. The adjusted five-year RER increased with age and stage and was lower for women (0.78, CI, 0.72–0.86), above the reference for main bronchus cancer (1.37, CI, 1.21–1.54) and unspecified morphology (1.17, CI, 1.05–1.30). Surgery carried the lowest mortality (RS 56.9; RER 0.13, CI, 0.11–0.15) with RER above the mean in Estonia (1.20, CI, 1.10–1.30), below it in Portugal (0.88, CI, 0.82–0.93) and Switzerland (0.91, CI, 0.84–0.99). Comorbidity (1.21, CI, 1.09–1.35) and not smoking (0.68, CI, 0.57–0.81) were associated with RER.ConclusionsThe survival benefit of early diagnosis, allowing curative surgery, was evident at the population level. Screening for subjects at risk and adhesion to standard care should be incremented across the EU by funding better equipment and training health personnel.

Background Cervical cancer incidence and mortality in Estonia are among the highest in Europe, although the overall coverage with cervical cytology is high. This indicates potential issues with the quality of collection and/or laboratory evaluation of cervical cytology. Objectives The aim of the retrospective observational study was to assess the quality of cervical cytology specimen collection, evaluation, and reporting using laboratory reports in Estonia. Methods The study included women with a cervical cancer diagnosis in 2017−2018. Cervical cytology and histology reports for these women in 2007−2018 were obtained from ten laboratories. We described the quality of cytology specimen collection and reporting of cytology results. Multivariate logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) to identify factors associated with NILM as the last cervical cytology result within 5 or 2 years before the cervical cancer diagnosis. Also, we calculated cytology-histology correlation (CHC). Results We identified 503 cytology and 100 histology reports from 138 women. The laboratories differed greatly regarding human resources, work capacity and volume. Differences between local and regional laboratories were observed in reporting specimen adequacy (P < .001). We found that local laboratories had 3 times higher odds (OR = 2.95, 95% CI: 1.05−8.33) of reporting normal results 2 years before cancer diagnosis than regional laboratories. According to the CHC, 58.9% of pairs were in agreement. Conclusions The study showed considerable heterogeneity and suboptimal performance of cervical cytology practices in Estonia, particularly at local laboratories. Efforts to improve laboratory quality assurance are crucial.

Abstract Background Radiation therapy is an important part of multimodal breast cancer treatment. The aim was to examine the impact of sociodemographic factors on radiation therapy use in breast cancer (BC) patients in Estonia, linking cancer registry data to administrative databases. Methods Estonian Cancer Registry provided data on women diagnosed with BC in Estonia in 2007–2018, including TNM stage at diagnosis. Use of radiation therapy within 12 months of diagnosis was determined from Estonian Health Insurance Funds claims, and sociodemographic characteristics from population registry. Receipt of radiation therapy was evaluated over time and by clinical and sociodemographic factors. Poisson regression with robust variance was used to calculate univariate and multivariate prevalence rate ratios (PRR) with 95 % confidence intervals (CI) for receipt of radiation therapy among stage I–III BC patients age

Abstract Background Before the era of targeted therapies, cytokines were the main therapy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). Our aim was to analyze the changes in treatments and overall survival (OS) of all mRCC patients in Estonia in relation to the introduction of new medications. Methods All patients with mRCC who started medical therapy in Estonia during the years 2004–2012 were identified using the database of the Estonian Health Insurance Fund. Tumor and treatment data were gathered from medical records. Vital status data were obtained from the Estonian Population Registry. The only available therapy before 2008 was interferon alpha-2A (INFa2A), targeted agents added from 2008. For survival analysis, patients were divided into 2 groups: INFa therapy only (group 1) and INFa followed by targeted agents or targeted agents therapy only (group 2). Results Out of 416 identified patients, 380 were eligible for analysis. The most common 1st-line treatments were INFa (55%), sunitinib (32%) and INFa+bevacizumab (13%). 28% of patients received 2nd-line therapies and 15% 3rd-line treatments. Median survival of all patients was 13.7 months [95% confidence interval (CI) 11.3–16.2]; 7.6 months (CI 6.4–8.6) for group 1 and 19.8 months (CI 15.6–22.9) for group 2. In multivariate analysis, group 1 had nearly four times higher risk of dying than group 2 [hazard ration (HR) 3.88, 95% CI 2.64–5.72]. Conclusions The implementation of targeted therapies significantly changed the outcomes of mRCC in Estonia: it prolonged median survival, reduced the risk of death and also enlarged the proportion of patients who received medical therapy.

Abstract Background Childhood cancers represent a small proportion of all cancers but are still a major public health problem. The study analysed long-term trends in childhood cancer incidence and survival in Estonia in relation to societal and health care transition. Methods Data on all malignant tumours, diagnosed in children aged 0–14 during 1970–2016, were derived from the Estonian Cancer Registry. Age-standardised (World standard) incidence rates were calculated by ICCC-3 site groups and joinpoint regression was used to estimate annual percentage change (APC) for incidence trends. Cohort and period approach were used to estimate 5-year survival. Internal age standardisation was applied. Results A total of 1628 incident cancer cases were diagnosed during the study period and overall incidence increased significantly at a rate of 0.5% per year. Significant increases were seen for neuroblastoma and germ cell tumours, for lymphoid leukemias and some CNS sub-sites. At the same time, decline in incidence was seen in almost all subgroups of unspecified neoplasms. The overall 5-year survival improved from 24% in 1970–1979 to 73% in 2010–2016, with the largest changes occurring in the 1990s and 2000s. For many sites, survival increase thereafter has been marginal. Conclusion In this first comprehensive population-based study of childhood cancer incidence and survival in Estonia, long-term trends are shown in the context of societal and health care changes. Even though the increasing incidence of some sites may, at least partially, be explained by improved diagnostics reflected in the decreased incidence of unspecified neoplasms, the overall cancer incidence in children seems to be rising. Rapid progress in diagnosis and care have improved childhood cancer survival immensely, but deficit in Estonia persists compared to other European countries. Results of the study accentuate the need for a more in-depth analysis of clinical data, but also for the prioritization of childhood cancer in Estonia, to ensure access to standard care and innovative treatments.

Objective: To study the population-level mental health responses during the first wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in Estonia and analyze its socio-demographic, behavioral, and health-related variations among general population.Methods: This study used nationally representative data on 4,606 individuals, aged 18–79 years from a rapid-response cross-sectional survey conducted in April 2020. Point prevalence and mutually adjusted prevalence rate ratios for perceived stress from log-binomial regression analysis were presented for socio-demographic, behavioral, and health-related variables.Results: This study found that 52.2% of population aged 18–79 reported elevated stress levels in relation to COVID-19 outbreak. Higher levels of perceived stress were found in women, in younger age groups, in Estonians, and in those with higher self-perceived infection risk, presence of respiratory symptoms, and less than optimal health, according to self-reports.Conclusion: Although, the potential long-term health effects of the current crisis are yet unknown, the alarmingly high stress levels among people indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic might have had a widespread effect on people's mental health.

Objectives Large disparities in colorectal cancer (CRC) management and survival have been observed across Europe. Despite recent increases, the survival deficit of Estonian patients with CRC persists, particularly for rectal cancer. The aim of this study was to examine diagnostic, staging and treatment patterns of CRC in Estonia, comparing clinical data from 1997 and 2011.Design Nationwide population-based retrospective study.Setting Estonia.Participants All incident cases of colon and rectal cancer diagnosed in 1997 and 2011 identified from the Estonian Cancer Registry. Clinical data gathered from medical records.Outcome measures Differences in diagnostic, staging and treatment patterns; 5-year relative survival ratios.Results The number of colon cancer cases was 337 in 1997 and 498 in 2011; for rectal cancer, the respective numbers were 209 and 349. From 1997 to 2011, large increases were seen in the use of colonoscopy and lung and liver imaging. Radical resection rate increased from 48% to 59%, but emergency surgeries showed a rise from 18% to 26% in colon and from 7% to 14% in rectal cancer. The proportion of radically operated patients with ≥12 lymph nodes examined pathologically increased from 2% to 58% in colon cancer and from 2% to 50% in rectal cancer. The use of neoadjuvant radiotherapy increased from 6% to 39% among stage II and from 20% to 50% among patients with stage III rectal cancer. The use of adjuvant chemotherapy in stage III colon cancer increased from 42% to 63%. The 5-year RSR increased from 50% to 58% in colon cancer and from 37% to 64% in patients with rectal cancer.Conclusions Major improvements were seen in the diagnostics, staging and treatment of CRC in Estonia contributing to better outcomes. Increase in emergency surgeries highlights possible shortcomings in timely diagnosis and treatment.

Abstract Background Cervical cancer (CC) incidence in Estonia is the third highest in Europe, even though an organised nation-wide screening program has been in place since 2006. The aim of the study was to analyse the incidence and survival of CC in Estonia, focusing on age, morphology and stage at diagnosis. Methods Data from Estonian Cancer Registry were used to analyse age-standardized (world) and age-specific incidence for 1968–2014 rates. Joinpoint regression was used to estimate the annual percentage change (APC) for incidence trends. Age-period-cohort model was used to summarise time trends in terms of cohort and period effects. Relative survival ratios (RSR) were calculated for cases diagnosed in 1995–2014. Union for International Cancer Control version 7 of the TNM classification for malignant tumours was used to categorise stage. Results The age-standardized incidence of CC increased since 1980s at a rate of 0.8% per year. A significant increase was seen for all age groups except for 70+. The incidence of squamous cell carcinoma mimicked the overall trend, while adenocarcinoma showed increase since mid-1990s (APC 6.7). Age-period-cohort modelling showed strong cohort effects with the lowest risk for birth-cohorts born around 1940 and significantly increasing risks for successive cohorts born thereafter. No period effects were seen. The proportion of stage IV cases increased from 13% in 2005–2009 to 18% in 2010–2014. A significant increase was seen in the overall 5-year RSR from 1995 to 1999 to 2010–2014 (58% vs 66%). In 2010–2014, the 5-year RSRs ranged from 89% in women aged 15–39 to 41% in age group 70+. For stages I to IV, the respective RSRs were 98, 74, 57 and 22%. Conclusions The inadequate uptake and insufficient quality of the Pap-smear based screening program has not brought along a decline in the incidence of CC in Estonia. Stage distribution has shifted towards later stages. New approaches are needed to prevent CC in Estonia.

Abstract Background Lung cancer (LC) is the leading cause of cancer deaths in men and the second most frequent cause of cancer deaths in women in Estonia. The study aimed to analyze time trends in LC incidence and mortality in Estonia over the 30-year period, which included major social, economic and health care transition. The results are discussed in the context of changes in tobacco control and smoking prevalence. Long-term predictions of incidence and mortality are provided. Methods Data for calculating the incidence and mortality rates in 1985–2014 were obtained from the nationwide population-based Estonian Cancer Registry and the Causes of Death Registry. Joinpoint regression was used to analyze trends and estimate annual percentage change (APC) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Nordpred model was used to project future incidence and mortality trends for 2015–2034. Results Incidence peaked among men in 1991 and decreased thereafter (APC: -1.5, 95% CI: -1.8; −1.3). A decline was seen for all age groups, except age ≥ 75 years, and for all histological types, except adenocarcinoma and large cell carcinoma. Incidence among women increased overall (APC: 1.6, 95% CI: 1.1; 2.0) and in all age groups and histological types, except small cell carcinoma. Age-standardized incidence rate (world) per 100,000 was 54.2 in men and 12.9 in women in 2014. Changes in mortality closely followed those in incidence. According to our predictions, the age-standardized incidence and mortality rates will continue to decrease in men and reach a plateau in women. Conclusions The study revealed divergent LC trends by gender, age and histological type, which were generally consistent with main international findings. Growing public awareness and stricter tobacco control have stimulated overall favorable changes in men, but not yet in women. Large increase in incidence was observed for adenocarcinoma, which in men showed a trend opposite to the overall decline. LC will remain a serious public health issue in Estonia due to a high number of cases during the next decades, related to aging population, and previous and current smoking patterns. National tobacco control policy in Estonia should prioritize preventing smoking initiation and promoting smoking cessation, particularly among women.

Background Prostate cancer incidence varies internationally largely attributable to differences in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) use. The aim of this study was to provide the most recent detailed international epidemiological comparison of prostate cancer incidence and mortality in six north-eastern European countries (Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Russian Federation and Ukraine).Methods The number of incident prostate cancer cases was obtained from the countries national cancer registries. Prostate cancer mortality and corresponding population data were extracted from the WHO Mortality Database. Age-specific and age-standardised incidence and mortality rates were calculated (European Standard). The joinpoint regression model was used to provide an average annual percentage change and to detect points in time where significant changes in trends occurred. The observation period was between 13 (Ukraine) and 48 (Estonia) years regarding incidence and around 30 years regarding mortality.Results The comparison of prostate cancer incidence in six European countries showed almost sixfold differences in the age-adjusted rates in most recent years with highest incidence rates in Lithuania and Estonia. Through the observation period, overall a continuous rise was seen in incidence in all countries and a continuous rise in mortality, with a stabilisation in Estonia and a decrease in Lithuania in recent years. Data limitations included a descriptive design using ecological data.Conclusions A widespread use of PSA testing seems to be responsible for the changes in the epidemiology of the disease in north-eastern European countries. Substantial variation in the incidence of prostate cancer in the Baltic states suggests the possibility that PSA performance and utilisation spread have had a major influence on observed incidence trends, with a lack of effect on prostate cancer mortality.

Background: Rare cancers pose challenges for diagnosis, treatments, and clinical decision making. Information about rare cancers is scant. The RARECARE project defined rare cancers as those with an annual incidence of less than six per 100 000 people in European Union (EU). We updated the estimates of the burden of rare cancers in Europe, their time trends in incidence and survival, and provide information about centralisation of treatments in seven European countries., Methods: We analysed data from 94 cancer registries for more than 2 million rare cancer diagnoses, to estimate European incidence and survival in 2000-07 and the corresponding time trends during 1995-2007. Incidence was calculated as the number of new cases divided by the corresponding total person-years in the population. 5-year relative survival was calculated by the Ederer-2 method. Seven registries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and the Navarra region in Spain) provided additional data for hospitals treating about 220 000 cases diagnosed in 2000-07. We also calculated hospital volume admission as the number of treatments provided by each hospital rare cancer group sharing the same referral pattern., Findings: Rare cancers accounted for 24% of all cancers diagnosed in the EU during 2000-07. The overall incidence rose annually by 0.5% (99·8% CI 0·3-0·8). 5-year relative survival for all rare cancers was 48·5% (95% CI 48·4 to 48·6), compared with 63·4% (95% CI 63·3 to 63·4) for all common cancers. 5-year relative survival increased (overall 2·9%, 95% CI 2·7 to 3·2), from 1999-2001 to 2007-09, and for most rare cancers, with the largest increases for haematological tumours and sarcomas. The amount of centralisation of rare cancer treatment varied widely between cancers and between countries. The Netherlands and Slovenia had the highest treatment volumes., Interpretation: Our study benefits from the largest pool of population-based registries to estimate incidence and survival of about 200 rare cancers. Incidence trends can be explained by changes in known risk factors, improved diagnosis, and registration problems. Survival could be improved by early diagnosis, new treatments, and improved case management. The centralisation of treatment could be improved in the seven European countries we studied., Funding: The European Commission (Chafea)., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)