Epidemiology of cervical cancer in elderly women: Analysis of incidence, treatment, and survival using German registry data

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer (CC) screening is generally recommended until age 65. The incidence of CC could be underestimated, particularly in older women, due to a lack of hysterectomy correction. Furthermore, elderly women (≥65 years) are more often diagnosed with late‐stage disease and have worse outcomes than younger patients. This study aims to provide an in‐depth overview of CC in Germany. METHODS: Incidence rates of CC (ICD‐10 C53) were determined using data from the German Centre of Cancer Registry data (ZfKD) of six federal state registries. Incidence was corrected by using hysterectomy prevalence values from a real‐world study. The distribution of treatment modalities (surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy) was assessed. Relative survival was calculated using the period approach (2011–2015). Survival was stratified by tumor (T) stage and histological type. RESULTS: In total, 14,528 CC cases were included, 27.6% of which occurred in elderly women. Cumulative (2001–2015) age‐standardized incidence rates were 12.5 per 100,000 women without hysterectomy correction and 15.5 per 100,000 women after hysterectomy correction (+24% relative change). A lower proportion of elderly women were treated, especially in advanced tumor stages. Younger women (20–64 years) had a higher 5‐year relative survival compared to elderly women: 76.7% versus 46.9%, respectively. Survival was worse with increasing stage and for glandular histological subgroups, particularly among elderly women. CONCLUSIONS: CC incidence in elderly women is underestimated and survival is lower compared to younger women in Germany. Due to the high disease burden in elderly women, screening and treatment strategies need to be improved.