Cross-sectionally derived hysterectomy prevalence for correcting uterine and ovarian cancer incidence rates and probabilities.

PURPOSE: This paper presents a cross-sectional method for deriving age-specific hysterectomy prevalence. The influence of hysterectomy prevalence on uterine and ovarian cancer incidence rates and probabilities is illustrated.METHODS: Hysterectomy prevalence estimates are derived from cross-sectional data using a life table method. Analysis is based on hysterectomy data from the Utah Hospital Discharge Data Base and cancer cases recorded by the Utah Cancer Registry, 1995-1997.RESULTS: Correction for hysterectomy prevalence increases cancer incidence rates, more so at older ages, such that by ages 85 and older the increase is 92% for uterine cancers of the cervix and corpus, and 17% for ovarian cancer. Over the life span, correction for hysterectomy prevalence increases the estimated number per 100,000 developing these diseases by 195 (from 603 to 798) for uterine cervical cancer, 1,553 (from 2,580 to 4,133) for corpus uterine cancer, and 911 (1,674 to 2,585) for ovarian cancer.CONCLUSIONS: The utility of the cross-sectional method for deriving hysterectomy prevalence is that it does not require several years of data to obtain reasonable estimates. Correction for hysterectomy prevalence has a large effect on the cancer rates and probabilities, providing a more accurate representation of the risk and burden of these cancers.