|
Cancer Registry Data Overview In 2006, the FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital Cancer Registry recorded 1,244 cancer cases, representing a slight increase from the 1,174 cases documented in 2005. In order of incidence, lung, breast, prostate and colorectal cancers were the most commonly diagnosed. This is similar to state and national averages with the exception of lung cancer, which accounted for 22 percent of newly diagnosed cases at Moore Regional Hospital, but only 13 percent in North Carolina and 15 percent nationally. This has been a consistent finding over the past decade and is likely due to a disproportionate volume of referrals to local subspecialists for diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary masses. A diagnosis of cancer was clearly related to age, with people aged 60 years and older accounting for 74 percent of cases. The racial distribution of the patient population is similar to that of the local area with approximately 80 percent of cases occurring among Caucasians*, 18 percent among African-Americans and 2 percent among American Indians. Early diagnosis and treatment are vital factors in improving the long-term survival of cancer. As has been the case in previous years, the majority of cases in 2006 were diagnosed in Stages 0, I and II. Some 123 of the 197 cases of breast cancer, 11 of the 18 cases of uterine body cancer and 32 of the 51 cases of bladder cancer were diagnosed in very early stages (as noninvasive Stage 0 or Stage I). Of the 248 lung cancer cases diagnosed, 80 were detected in Stage I or Stage II, stages where surgical removal is possible. Among patients with a diagnosis of prostate cancer, 128 of the 160 cases were detected in Stage II, indicating no evidence of disease spread outside of the gland. Early detection can be attributed to patient education and awareness of warning signs, self-examinations and regular medical screening including physicals, mammograms, PSA testing, fecal occult blood testing, colonoscopies and gynecological examinations/Pap smears. In keeping with the referral patterns of past years, 49 percent of the patients who were diagnosed and/or treated at the FirstHealth Moore Regional Community Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center reside in Moore County. An additional 14 percent of patients are residents of Richmond County. Between 4 and 8 percent of patients travel to Moore Regional from each of the following counties: Lee, Montgomery, Hoke, Robeson and Scotland. The remaining patients reside in more distant areas. While 93 percent of patients were treated at Moore Regional Hospital, between 1 and 2 percent of the cases were diagnosed here but treated elsewhere. This figure reflects the philosophy that certain types of cancer require services and technologies available only at a university-based teaching hospital. Examples of these services/technologies are high-dose chemotherapy with bone marrow support and management of most pediatric cancer cases. The remaining 6 percent of the cases were pathology reports from outside offices. Those patients did not enter Moore Regional Hospital for diagnosis or treatment. Collecting, managing and analyzing data related to cancer diagnosis and treatment is a vital part of the cancer program at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital. The follow-up rate of 94 percent for treated patients far exceeds the American College of Surgeons (ACoS) standard. Requested data is forwarded to both the North Carolina Central Cancer Registry, as required by state law, and to the American College of Surgeons National Cancer Data Base, as required for an accredited Community Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Program. In accordance with HIPAA guidelines, strict patient confidentiality measures are followed. Four nationally certified cancer registrars perform these extensive procedures in addition to organizing and assisting with weekly cancer conferences. Twenty requests for specific analyses related to FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital cancer program data were fulfilled. In 2006, 396 cases were presented for review at 98 multidisciplinary conferences for discussion by a group of physicians representing all specialties involved in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Ninety-five percent of the cases were presented prospectively where multidisciplinary inputs can affect treatment decisions. Jeffrey C. Acker, M.D.
*Hispanic patients are included in the Caucasian category since this term is considered an ethnic rather than a racial designation. |
