Survival in patients with primary liver cancer, gallbladder and extrahepatic biliary tract cancer and pancreatic cancer in Europe 1999- 2007: Results of EUROCARE-5

Abstract Background The EUROCARE study collects and analyses survival data from population-based cancer registries (CRs) in Europe in order to provide data on between-country differences in survival and time trends in survival. Methods This study analyses data on liver cancer, gallbladder and extrahepatic biliary tract cancers (“biliary tract cancers”), and pancreatic cancer diagnosed in 2000–2007 from 88 CRs in 29 countries. Relative survival (RS) was estimated overall, by region, sex, age and period of diagnosis using the complete approach. Time trends in 5-year RS over 1999–2007 were also analysed using the period approach. Results The prognosis of the studied cancers was poor. Age-stand…