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. 2022 Nov 30:12:1049486.
doi: 10.3389/fonc.2022.1049486. eCollection 2022.

Statistical methods for measuring trends in colorectal cancer incidence in registries: A systematic review

Norah Alsadhan  1   2 , Alaa Almaiman  1 , Mar Pujades-Rodriguez  2 , Cathy Brennan  2 , Farag Shuweihdi  2 , Sultana A Alhurishi  1 , Robert M West  2
Affiliations

Statistical methods for measuring trends in colorectal cancer incidence in registries: A systematic review

Norah Alsadhan et al. Front Oncol. .

Abstract

Background: Monitoring cancer trends in a population is essential for tracking the disease's burden, allocating resources, and informing public health policies. This review describes variations in commonly employed methods to estimate colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence trends.

Methods: We performed a systematic literature search in four databases to identify population-based studies reporting CRC incidence trends, published between January 2010 and May 2020. We extracted and described data on methods to estimate trends and assess model validity, and the software used.

Results: This review included 145 articles based on studies conducted in five continents. The majority (93%) presented visual summaries of trends combined with absolute, relative, or annual change estimates. Fourteen (10%) articles exclusively calculated the relative change in incidence over a given time interval, presented as the percentage of change in rates. Joinpoint regression analysis was the most commonly used method for assessing incidence trends (n= 65, 45%), providing estimates of the annual percentage change (APC) in rates. Nineteen (13%) studies performed Poisson regression and 18 (12%) linear regression analysis. Age-period-cohort modeling- a type of generalized linear models- was conducted in 18 (12%) studies. Thirty-nine (37%) of the studies modeling incidence trends (n=104, 72%) indicated the method used to evaluate model fitness. The joinpoint program (52%) was the statistical software most commonly used.

Conclusion: This review identified variation in the calculation of CRC incidence trends and inadequate reporting of model fit statistics. Our findings highlight the need for increasing clarity and transparency in reporting methods to facilitate interpretation, reproduction, and comparison with findings from previous studies.

Keywords: colorectal cancer; incidence; methods; population-based study; systematic review; trends.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flowchart of the study selection process.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Classification of incidence trends methods.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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