title: An epidemiological evaluation of salivary gland cancer in the Netherlands (1989-2010).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The relative 5-year survival rate of salivary gland cancer is moderate at best. This study was set up to evaluate whether the improvements in diagnosis and treatment in the last decades impacted the incidence, mortality and survival of salivary gland cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data on patients with salivary gland cancer from 1989 through 2010 were extracted from the Netherlands Cancer Registry (NCR); we examined incidence, mortality and relative survival. Furthermore, information on sex, age, tumor stage, histology, and treatment was taken into account.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 2737 patients were included. Fifty-three percent (53%) were males and 47% were females with a significant higher proportion of early stages in women. In 2010, the incidence rate (European Standardized Rate (ESR)) of salivary gland cancer was 0.9 per 100,000 per year. The estimated annual percentage change in incidence rate since 1989 equaled 0.6% (95%CI: -0.2-1.4). Mortality rates (ESR) decreased in men until 1997 and increased thereafter. Mortality in women remained stable at 1.5 per 100,000. Over time more patients were treated by surgery and radiotherapy (p<0.001). The relative five-year survival rate equaled 69% and did not change in time.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We observed no relevant changes in incidence or mortality rates in the last two decades. Despite the increased combined treatment by surgery and radiotherapy, survival did not improve. This implies an urgent need for the development of new effective treatment modalities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Head and Neck Oncology and Surgery, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: m.d.ridder@nki.nl.
authors.forename: Mischa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Ridder
authors.affiliation: Department of Head and Neck Oncology and Surgery, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Alfons J M
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Balm
authors.affiliation: Department of Head and Neck Oncology and Surgery, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Maxillo-facial Surgery, Academic Medical Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ludi E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Smeele
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Oncology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Michel W J M
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Wouters
authors.affiliation: Department of Research, Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Department of Epidemiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Boukje A C
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: van Dijk
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D012042:Registries; D012468:Salivary Gland Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D017678:Sex Distribution; D015996:Survival Rate
keywords: Epidemiology; Head and neck surgery; Oncology; Parotid gland; Salivary gland