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Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma incidence stabilized in US
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Incidence of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma in the United States has stabilized after years of steady increase, according to recent study results.
Researchers obtained cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) incidence and survival data from nine registries of the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) from 1973 to 2009 and four additional registries from SEER 13. The NCI’s Joinpoint Regression Program was used to analyze trends for CTCL and subgroups, including age, sex, race and registry, while its SEER*Stat software was used to calculate 5-year relative survival rates.
There were 6,320 cases of CTCL during the study period. Since 1998, overall incidence of CTCL has stabilized (95% CI, 1994-2002). From 1973 to 1997, the annual percent change (APC) was 5.7% (95% CI, 4.9%-6.5%), while the APC for 1998 to 2009 was 0.1% (95% CI, –1.4% to 1.5%).
Race, sex, age, diagnosis and registry subgroup analyses displayed similar incidence stabilization. Individuals aged 70 to 84 years had the greatest CTCL incidence. There was a stabilization for blacks and whites, with a black-to-white incidence rate ratio of 1.28 for 2005 to 2009.
There was a statistically significant increase in 5-year survival rates through 2004 (P=.01). Overall CTCL survival improved from 71.5% for 1973 to 1980 to 78.3% for 1997 to 2005.
“In recent years, incidence of overall CTCL has stabilized,” the researchers concluded. “A substantial and steady increase in survival has been reported from 1973 to 1992, but advanced age and black race were associated with poorer survival. We confirmed a continued increase in survival through 2004 but not after that. Analysis of more recent data is necessary to determine true temporal trends in CTCL survival.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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