Elizabeth Tracey

Cancer Institute NSW, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Are you Elizabeth Tracey?

Claim your profile

Publications (4)10.14 Total impact

  • Article: Epidemiology of neuroendocrine cancers in an Australian population.
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: The aim was to explore incidence, mortality and case survivals for invasive neuroendocrine cancers in an Australian population and consider cancer control implications. Directly age-standardised incidence and mortality rates were investigated from 1980 to 2006, plus disease-specific survivals. Annual incidence per 100,000 increased from 1.7 in 1980-1989 to 3.3 in 2000-2006. A corresponding mortality increase was not observed, although numbers of deaths were low, reducing statistical power. Increases in incidence affected both sexes and were more evident for female lung, large bowel (excluding appendix), and unknown primary site. Common sites were lung (25.9%), large bowel (23.3%) (40.9% were appendix), small intestine (20.6%), unknown primary (15.0%), pancreas (6.5%), and stomach (3.7%). Site distribution did not vary by sex (p = 0.260). Younger ages at diagnosis applied for lung (p = 0.002) and appendix (p < 0.001) and older ages for small intestine (p < 0.001) and unknown primary site (p < 0.001). Five-year survival was 68.5% for all sites combined, with secular increases (p < 0.001). After adjusting for age and diagnostic period, survivals were higher for appendix and lower for unknown primary site, pancreas, and colon (excluding appendix). Incidence rates are increasing. Research is needed into possible aetiological factors for lung and large-bowel sites, including tobacco smoking, and excess body weight and lack of exercise, respectively; and Crohn's disease as a possible precursor condition.
    Cancer Causes and Control 06/2010; 21(6):931-8. · 2.88 Impact Factor
  • Article: Exploring contrary trends in bladder cancer incidence, mortality and survival: implications for research and cancer control.
    C Luke, E Tracey, A Stapleton, D Roder
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: To investigate trends in bladder cancer incidence, mortality and survival, and cancer-control implications. South Australian Registry data were used to calculate age-standardized incidence and mortality rates from 1980 to 2004. Sociodemographic predictors of invasive as opposed to in situ disease were examined. Determinants of disease-specific survival were investigated using Kaplan-Meier estimates and proportional hazards regression. Incidence rates for invasive cancers decreased by 21% between 1980-84 and 2000-04, similarly affecting men and women. Meanwhile increases occurred for combined in situ and invasive disease. While mortality rates decreased by approximately a third in men and women less than 70 years of age after the early 1990 s, no changes were evident for older residents. The proportion of cancers found at an in situ stage was higher in younger ages and more recent diagnostic periods. Five-year survivals of invasive cases decreased from 64% for 1980-84 diagnoses to 58% for 1995-2004. Multivariable analysis showed that diagnostic period was not predictive of survival after age adjustment (P= 0.719), with lower survival relating to older age, transitional compared with papillary transitional cancers, female sex, indigenous status and a country as opposed to metropolitan residence. Reductions in invasive disease incidence may be due to increased detection at an in situ stage. The decline in survival from invasive disease in more recent periods is explained by increased age at diagnosis. Poorer outcomes of invasive cases remain for women after adjusting for age, histology, indigenous status and residential location.
    Internal Medicine Journal 06/2009; 40(5):357-62. · 1.54 Impact Factor
  • Article: Bladder cancer survivals in New South Wales, Australia: why do women have poorer survival than men?
    Elizabeth Tracey, David Roder, Colin Luke, James Bishop
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: To investigate factors that most influenced survival from bladder cancer in New South Wales, Australia (NSW) and to consider the impact of changes in coding practices on the reporting the of bladder cancer outcomes. All NSW cases of bladder cancer diagnosed between 1980 and 2003 were followed to the end of 2004 (17 923 cases). Survival analysis was undertaken using Kaplan-Meier unadjusted disease-specific survival and adjusted disease-specific survival using Cox proportional hazards regression modelling. This analysis was unique in that it modelled the effect of sex, age, country of birth, socio-economic status (SES), histological type, extent of disease and period of diagnosis on survival from bladder cancer in NSW. After adjusting for sex, age, extent of disease, SES, period of diagnosis and histological type, the likelihood of death was 11% (95% confidence interval, CI 5-18%) higher in females than in males, with case fatality most influenced by age at diagnosis, extent of disease, and histological type. When the analysis was repeated for cases with a method 6 (i.e. coding undertaken in the registry after examination of the pathology report, which would enhance accuracy), the likelihood of death was 13% (95% CI 5-21%) higher in females than in males. The NSW analysis controls for variability in coding, extent of disease at diagnosis and histological type of cancer. The analysis shows significantly lower survival from bladder cancer in NSW women compared with men, with no improvement in survival from 1980 to 2003. Possible reasons for the lower survivals in women, the lack of improvement in survival and coding differences in jurisdictions are discussed.
    BJU International 04/2009; 104(4):498-504. · 2.84 Impact Factor
  • Article: A case-control study of the protective benefit of cervical screening against invasive cervical cancer in NSW women.
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: To examine the effects of different Pap screening patterns in preventing invasive cervical cancer among women in New South Wales, Australia. A total of 877 women aged 20-69 years diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer during 2000-2003 were matched with 2,614 controls by month and year of birth. Screening behavior patterns in 4 years preceding the time of cancer diagnosis in the cases were classified into none (no Pap test in the 4 years), 'irregular' (1 of the 4 years with Pap test(s)), and 'regular' (2 or more of the 4 years with a Pap test), and compared with those in the matched non-cases over the same period. Conditional logistic regression modeling was used to estimate the relative risk, approximated by the odds ratio, of invasive cervical cancer for regular and irregular cervical screening compared with no screening in the previous 4 years, before and after controlling for potential confounders including the first recorded Pap test result in the preceding 6-year reference period. Compared with no screening, irregular Pap screening in the 4 years preceding the cancer diagnosis is estimated to reduce the risk of invasive cervical cancer by about 85% (RR = 0.15, 95% CI: 0.120-0.19); regular Pap screening reduces the risk by about 96% (RR = 0.04, 95% CI: 0.03-0.05). After adjusting for the index Pap test result, the relative risks for invasive cervical cancer were 0.19 (95% CI: 0.13-0.27) for irregular screening and 0.07 (95% CI: 0.04-0.10) for regular Pap screening. Regular and irregular Pap tests among women aged 20-69 years were highly effective in preventing invasive cancer. At-risk women with no Pap test history should be encouraged to undergo a Pap test every 2 years, but any Pap screening over a 4-year period remains highly protective against future invasive cervical cancer.
    Cancer Causes and Control 09/2008; 19(6):569-76. · 2.88 Impact Factor