The main results of the EUROCARE-3 study, covering cancer patients survival up to 1999 in 22 European countries, were published in December 2003 as a monograph of Annals of Oncology, appearing as Volume 14, Supplement 5.
A more detailed database of EUROCARE-3 results can be obtained in the following alternative ways:

1. downloading the database
2. accessing on-line the database
3. requesting a CD-Rom

The EUROCARE-3 results data base is aimed to present survival rates and other statistics estimated at the aggregated level. The included files do not contain micro-data at the individual level of any kind. To access the database Microsoft™ Access 2000 is required.

The data base is organised in six sections, differing by type of presented data and logic of access:

Section 1 contains survival data of adult patients for the incidence period 1990-1994, cross-classified according to cancer site, population, sex, age, and period of follow-up, observed and relative survival rates, age-standardized relative survival rates.

Section 2 regards time trends of survival, that are presented in the four incidence periods 1983-1985, 1986-1988, 1989-1991, 1992-1994, and consider only cancer registry populations, whose data cover the four periods. This part presents the same data structure as described above, further stratified by period of diagnosis.

Section 3 contains page views of the European tables presented in the monograph [1]. Country-specific tables by cancer site, similar to those appearing in previous monographs [2,3], may also be displayed.

Section 4 presents the cancer registry population specific life tables that were collected in the framework of the EUROCARE project and used for the calculation of relative survival ratios [4].

Section 5 contains survival data for childhood cancers diagnosed in the incidence period 1990-1994 [5], cross-classified according to cancer type, population, sex, age, and of follow-up interval.

Section 6 allows the user to access three accessory tables:

1. Country-specific weights for the calculation of European survival figures.
2. Standard age distributions, both EUROCARE-3 and ICSS, for the calculation of age-standardised rates.
3. Age-Standardised (5-year) Relative Survival ratios by cancer site, sex and registry [6]. The file provides a complete set of age-adjusted relative survival ratios estimated by using model-based imputation to replace missing age-specific relative survival ratios.

Notes
A specific analysis of the EUROCARE data base was carried out to provide the information included in this data base. The analysis for adult patients has been performed by using 1-year follow-up intervals. This causes some minor differences with the data published in the EUROCARE 3 monograph, as those data refer to six months follow-up intervals. Cumulative survival estimates are expected indeed to slightly differ when calculated by differing follow-up intervals, as some cases could be censored alive. In practice, these differences usually range between 0.1 and 0.3 percent units, and do not exceed a 1.0 percent unit. Other small differences with published data are due to roundings of country-specific weights for the calculations of European survival figures.

 

REFERENCES

1. EUROCARE Working Group. EUROCARE-3: Survival of cancer patients’ cases diagnosed in 1990-94. Ann. Oncol. 14 (Suppl 5), 2003.
2. Berrino F, Sant M, Verdecchia A, et al. (eds). Survival of Cancer Patients in Europe: the EUROCARE Study. IARC Scientific Publications No. 132. Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer, 1995.
3. Berrino F, Capocaccia R, Estève J, et al. (eds). Survival of Cancer Patients in Europe: the EUROCARE-2 Study. IARC Scientific Publications No. 151. Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer, 1999.
4. Micheli A, Baili P, Quinn M, et al. Life expectancy and cancer survival in the EUROCARE-3 cancer registry areas. Ann. Oncol. 14 (Suppl 5), 2003.
5. Gatta et al and the EUROCARE Working Group. Childhood cancer survival in Europe. Ann. Oncol. 14 (Suppl 5), 2003.
6. Roazzi, et al and the EUROCARE Working Group. Electronic availability of EUROCARE-3 data: a tool for further analysis Ann. Oncol. 14 (Suppl 5), 2003.
7. Capocaccia R, Gatta G, Roazzi P et al. Cancer survival in Europe: the EUROCARE data base and methods. Ann. Oncol. 14 (Suppl 5), 2003.

DOWNLOADING THE DATABASE

To access the database Microsoft™ Access 2000 is required.
The entire database of results, in zipped format, occupies about 135 MB. A fast connection is required to download it as a single file, otherwise 10 separate files can be downloaded.

Instructions to download and access the database

1. create a folder c:\EUROCARE 3 on your hard disk;
2. if a single file is requested, click here and follow the instructions; if a database split into 10 files is preferred, download each file separately (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10);
3. un-zip the file CDEU3.zip (by using WinZip) in the folder c:\EUROCARE 3;
4. double click on CDEU3.mde to open the database

REQUESTING a CD-Rom

If you do not have a fast internet connection to download the database, a CD-Rom can be requested free of charge by writing to: eurocare@iss.it
All data and results are aggregate and anonymous.
The CD-Rom contains no micro-data at the individual level.

 

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