Primary Peritoneal Cancer on the Rise?
Monday January 12, 2009
Researchers at the University of Hawaii have been tracking the incidence of papillary serous Primary Peritoneal cancer. We have known about this “uncommon” malignancy for about 5 decades, and now it may be on the rise.
In the USA, this is generally a disease of older white women, usually not seen under the age of 40. However, it is also diagnosed in other ethnic groups. The majority (68%) is diagnosed at an advanced stage.
This research group tracked the incidence of primary peritoneal cancer in the US from 1995-2004. Unfortunately, they found that there is a dramatic increase with the greatest rise (>13% per year) among non-Hispanic and white women. Reasons are unknown at this time, and some of this may be due to how ovarian cancer was classified in this set of databases.
So what does this mean? Well, hopefully some of it is related to the last reason, which is essentially how things are recorded rather than real increases. However, it may also be a disturbing trend, adding to our already poor sensitivity for ovarian cancer screening. Over the next few years, the blood tests that are being developed for ovarian cancer screening will help find this disease. On the other hand, primary peritoneal cancer usually means that many areas of the peritoneum have gone bad. Because of this, an “early diagnosis” is uncommon.
In the USA, this is generally a disease of older white women, usually not seen under the age of 40. However, it is also diagnosed in other ethnic groups. The majority (68%) is diagnosed at an advanced stage.
This research group tracked the incidence of primary peritoneal cancer in the US from 1995-2004. Unfortunately, they found that there is a dramatic increase with the greatest rise (>13% per year) among non-Hispanic and white women. Reasons are unknown at this time, and some of this may be due to how ovarian cancer was classified in this set of databases.
So what does this mean? Well, hopefully some of it is related to the last reason, which is essentially how things are recorded rather than real increases. However, it may also be a disturbing trend, adding to our already poor sensitivity for ovarian cancer screening. Over the next few years, the blood tests that are being developed for ovarian cancer screening will help find this disease. On the other hand, primary peritoneal cancer usually means that many areas of the peritoneum have gone bad. Because of this, an “early diagnosis” is uncommon.