Identifying classes of the pain, fatigue, and depression symptom cluster in long-term prostate cancer survivors-results from the multi-regional Prostate Cancer Survivorship Study in Switzerland (PROCAS).

Purpose: Aside from urological and sexual problems, long-term (≥5 years after initial diagnosis) prostate cancer (PC) survivors might suffer from pain, fatigue, and depression. These concurrent symptoms can form a cluster. In this study, we aimed to investigate classes of this symptom cluster in long-term PC survivors, to classify PC survivors accordingly, and to explore associations between classes of this cluster and health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

Health-related quality of life in long-term prostate cancer survivors after nerve-sparing and non-nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy-Results from the multiregional PROCAS study.

Background: Nerve-sparing (NS) surgery was developed to improve postoperative sexual and potentially urological outcomes after radical prostatectomy (RP). However, it is largely unknown how NSRP affects health-related quality of life (HRQoL) including urinary and sexual outcomes in prostate cancer (PC) survivors 5-10 years after diagnosis in comparison with Non-NSRP.

Methods: The study population included 382 stage pT2-T3N0M0 PC survivors 5-10 years post diagnosis, who were identified from the multiregional Prostate Cancer Survivorship in Switzerland (PROCAS) study.

Comparison between opportunistic and organised breast cancer mammography screening in the Swiss canton of Fribourg.

Background: Breast cancer screening mammography is widespread in industrialised countries within the framework of public health program or opportunist form. Only few data exist on the comparison of effectiveness between organised and opportunistic screening. The aim of this study is to compare organised and opportunistic screening using population-based data from the Fribourg cancer registry, Switzerland.

Socioeconomic and demographic inequalities in stage at diagnosis and survival among colorectal cancer patients: evidence from a Swiss population-based study.

Socioeconomic inequalities in cancer stage at diagnosis and survival are important public health issues. This study investigates the association between socioeconomic position (SEP) and colorectal cancer (CRC) stage at diagnosis and survival in Switzerland, a European country with highest level of medical facilities and life expectancy. We used population-based CRC data from seven Swiss cantonal cancer registries 2001-2008 (N = 10,088) linked to the Swiss National Cohort (SNC).

Socioeconomic and demographic disparities in breast cancer stage at presentation and survival: A Swiss population-based study.

We explored socioeconomic and demographic disparities in breast cancer (BC) stage at presentation and survival in a Swiss population-based sample of female BC patients linked to the census-based Swiss National Cohort. Tumor stage was classified according to Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program summary stage (in situ/localized/regional/distant). We used highest education level attained to estimate SEP (low/middle/high).

Evaluation of completeness of case ascertainment in Swiss cancer registration.

This is the first comprehensive evaluation of completeness of case ascertainment in Swiss cancer registration. There is currently no method available that is considered to be the gold standard. Apart from simple measures such as the proportion of cases where registration was initiated by a death certificate and the proportion of diagnoses on the basis of histology or cytology/haematology, we applied two dedicated approaches: (i) the semiquantitative method of comparing the mortality to incidence rate ratio with relative survival (MI-Surv method) and (ii) the Flow method, which provides a quantitative estimate for the completeness depending on time since diagnosis.