Survival of endometrial cancer patients in Germany in the early 21st century: a period analysis by age, histology, and stage

We used a pooled German national dataset including data from 11 cancer registries covering a population of 33 million people. 30,906 patients diagnosed with endometrial cancer in 1997-2006 were included. Period analysis was performed to calculate 5-year relative survival (RS) in 2002-2006. Trends in survival between 2002 and 2006 were examined using model-based period analysis. Age-adjustment was performed using five age groups (15-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-74, and 75+ years).Overall, age-adjusted 5-year relative survival in 2002-2006 was 81%. A moderate age gradient was observed, with 5-year RS decreasing from 90% in the age group 15-49 years to 75% in the age group 70+ years. Furthermore prognosis varied strongly by histologic subtypes and stage, with age-adjusted 5-year RS ranging from 43% (for sarcoma) to 94% (for squamous metaplasia), and reaching 91% for localized, 51% for regional, and 20% for distant stage. Except for age group 65-74 years, no significant improvement in survival was seen during the recent 5-year period under investigation.In this comprehensive population-based survival analysis of patients with endometrial cancer from Germany, prognosis of endometrial cancer moderately varied by age, and strongly varied by histology and stage. While prognosis is rather good overall, further improvement in 5-year relative survival of endometrial cancer patients has been stagnating in the early 21st century.According to estimates by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) [1], cancer of the corpus uteri (commonly called endometrial cancer) ranks as the 2nd most common gynecological cancer (behind cervical cancer) worldwide with 287,000 new cases diagnosed in 2008, and ranks as the 3rd most common cause of gynecologic cancer death (behind cervical and ovarian cancer) worldwide with 74,000 deaths in 2008. The burden of endometrial cancer is more severe in developed countries, including Germany, where endometrial cancer ranks as the 1st most common gyne