Clinical Epidemiology (Feb 2024)

Time Trends in Male Breast Cancer Incidence, Mortality, and Survival in Austria (1983–2017)

  • Ilic L,
  • Simon J,
  • Hackl M,
  • Haidinger G

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 16
pp. 57 – 69

Abstract

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Lazo Ilic,1,2 Judit Simon,1 Monika Hackl,3 Gerald Haidinger2 1Department of Health Economics, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; 2Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; 3Austrian National Cancer Registry, Statistics Austria, Vienna, AustriaCorrespondence: Lazo Ilic, Department of Health Economics, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, 1090, Vienna, Austria, Tel +43 1 40160 – 34885, Email [email protected]: Male breast cancer (MBC) comprises less than 1% of all breast cancer cases globally and remains understudied with persisting sex-specific survival disadvantages. We aim to contribute to better understanding of MBC with a comprehensive analysis of time-trends over several decades in Austria.Methods: We used Austrian National Cancer Registry data on 1648 cases of MBC cases diagnosed between 1983 and 2017 in Austria. Overall incidence, mortality, and survival rates, as well as age-, stage-, and period-specific incidence and survival rates were calculated. Joinpoint regression was performed to assess trends.Results: MBC incidence rates increased throughout the whole observation period (1983– 2017) with an annual percent change (APC) of 1.44% (95% confidence interval, CI: 0.77 to 2.11). During the same period, morality rates were stable (APC: – 0.25, 95% CI: – 0.53 to 0.60). Ten-year survival rates showed three phases of decreasing increases with an average APC of 2.45%, 1983– 2009 (95% CI: 2.1 to 2.74). Five-year survival rates improved until 2000 (APC: 2.31, 95% CI: 1.34 to 3.30) and remained stable thereafter (APC: 0.10, 95% CI: – 0.61 to 0.80). Stage-specific analyses showed a single trend of stable incidence rates of distant disease MBC (APC: – 0.03, 95% CI: – 1.67 to 1.65). Further, we observed increases in localised, regional, and unknown stage cancer incidence and increases in incidence rates across all age groups over the whole observation period. However, the estimates on these subgroup-specific trends (according to age- and stage) show wider 95% CIs and lower bounds closer to zero or negative in comparison to our findings on overall incidence, mortality, and survival.Conclusion: Despite improvements in survival rates, MBC mortality rates remained largely stable between 1983 and 2017 in Austria, possibly resulting from a balance between increasing overall incidence and stable incidence rates of distant disease MBC.Keywords: male breast cancer, male health, cancer epidemiology, cancer trends

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