Incidence Trends in Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma in the Netherlands
Posted: Wednesday, December 16, 2020
According to research published in JAMA Dermatology, incidence rates of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in the Netherlands continue to increase, with multiple occurrences contributing to the overall burden. Marlies Wakkee, MD, PhD, of the Netherlands Comprehensive Cancer Organization, and colleagues found that incidence rates of both initial and multiple occurrences have increased substantially, particularly among women.
“Considering the even higher burden on dermatologic care when multiple [cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma] data are included, our results call for revision of skin cancer health policies to be able to cope with the rising burden of keratinocyte carcinoma management,” concluded the authors.
Using data from the Netherlands Cancer Registry, the nationwide study identified 145,618 patients with an initial diagnosis of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma occurring between January 1, 1989, and December 31, 2017, and all patients diagnosed with multiple such carcinomas in 2017. Incident rates were age-standardized to the 2013 European standard population and the 2000 U.S. standard population, and a regression model was employed to estimate future incidence rates through 2027.
Initial rates of disease occurrence increased by almost 500% for women and almost 300% for men. European standardized rates saw rates for women rise from 13.9 per 100,000 person-years in 1989 to 68.7 per 100,000 person-years in 2017, and rates for men rise from 40.0 per 100,000 person-years in 1989 to 107.6 per 100,000 person-years in 2017. The U.S. standardized rates for initial occurrences in 2017 were 46.4 per 100,000 person-years for women and 71.4 per 100,000 person-years for men.
European standardized rates increased considerably when multiple occurrences per patient were included, increasing the instance rate by 34.8% for women and 58.4% for men. Estimating future instance rates indicated a possible additional increase of 29.4% for women and 23% for men.
Disclosure: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit jamanetwork.com.