title: Conditional relative survival of cancer patients and conditional probability of death: a French National Database analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Little information is available on the conditional probabilities of death among patients who survive for >5 years after a diagnosis with cancer. The objective of this study was to estimate the conditional probabilities of death for breast cancer, prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, and lung cancer in France.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included data from the French Network of Cancer Registries from 205,562 patients aged <75 years who were diagnosed with cancer between 1989 and 1997. The conditional probabilities of death were calculated by using a relative survival regression model in which age was included as a covariate.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After the first year and until 10 years after diagnosis, the annual probability of death decreased dramatically for colorectal cancer: It was the same in all age groups after 3 years, and it was approximately 1% at 10 years. For prostate cancer, the decrease was not as great, and the conditional probability of death remained higher among younger patients at >4% at 10 years. During the 3 years after diagnosis, the probability of death was greater for older patients with breast cancer; then, it decreased less for younger patients compared with older patients, leading to a greater conditional probability of death among younger patients at 4 years and up to 10 years. The annual probability of death in patients with lung cancer decreased for both sexes but remained substantially higher for men than for women, reaching approximately 8% and 5%, respectively, at 10 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Further studies would facilitate a better understanding of the observed differences in relative survival within European countries.
authors: Digestive Cancer Registry of Burgundy, INSERM U866 (National Institute for Health and Medical Research), University Hospital Dijon, Dijon, France. anne-marie.bouvier@u-bourgogne.fr
authors: Anne-Marie
authors: AM
authors: Bouvier
authors: Laurent
authors: L
authors: Remontet
authors: Guy
authors: G
authors: Hédelin
authors: Guy
authors: G
authors: Launoy
authors: Valérie
authors: V
authors: Jooste
authors: Pascale
authors: P
authors: Grosclaude
authors: Aurélien
authors: A
authors: Belot
authors: Brigitte
authors: B
authors: Lacour
authors: Jacques
authors: J
authors: Estève
authors: Nadine
authors: N
authors: Bossard
authors: Jean
authors: J
authors: Faivre
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality*; D011336:Probability; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality; D012042:Registries; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors