Background and Context:
In 2004, the Israel Ministry of Health instituted a national health care quality measurement program. This program documented increased compliance with guidelines for breast and colon through 2010.
Aim:
We used cancer registry data to study the impact of increased screening on initial stage of breast and colon cancer.
Strategy/Tactics:
The Israel National Cancer Registry (INCR) was established in 1960; reporting has been mandatory since 1982. Stage is coded according to the summary stage criteria of the Middle East Cancer Consortium (MECC). We selected cases of invasive and in situ cancer diagnosed from 2000-2010 at ICD-O-III sites C50 (breast) and C18-C20 (colorectal) excluding lymphomas at these sites.
Programme/Policy Process:
Annual number of breast cancer cases in women ages 50-75 increased by 22% from 2000 to 2010. Of cases with a documented stage, the percentage coded as in situ or localized rose from 54.6% to 64.3% and the percentage with distant spread at diagnosis dropped from 3.7% to 2.3%.
Annual number of cases of colorectal cancer in the population ages 50-75 increased by 14% from 2000-2010. Of cases with a documented stage, the percentage coded as in situ or localized rose from 20.5% to 35.3% and the percentage with distant spread dropped from 15% to 10.5%.
Outcomes/What was learned:
We observed a shift in the percentage of breast and colorectal cancer detected at earlier stages during the period from 2000-2010, in parallel with increased cancer screening in the target populations. The INCR data are useful for assessing the implementation of national interventions.