Objectives. To estimate the survival rate of colorectal cancer (CRC) and determine its predictors among Jordanian patients who were diagnosed in the period of 2005–2010. Methods. This study was based on Jordan cancer registry. All CRC cases that were registered in cancer registry during 2005–2010 were analyzed using the survival analysis. The last date for follow-up was 1st Oct 2016. Results. A total of 3005 patients with CRC were registered during 2005–2010. The overall 5-year and 10-year survival rates for patients with CRC were 58.2% and 51.8%, respectively. The 5-year survival rate decreased significantly from 60.4% for the age <50 years to 49.3% for the age ≥70 years (p < 0.005). The 5-year survival rate was 72.1% for the localized stage, 53.8% for the regional stage, and 22.6% for the distant metastasis. In the multivariate analysis, the only factors that were significantly associated with survival were age, grade, stage, and location of tumor. Conclusions. The overall 5-year and ten-year survival rates for CRC were 58.2% and 51.8%, respectively. Increased age, poor differentiation, advanced cancer stage, and right-sided cancers were associated with lower survival rates. Screening strategies are needed for early detection of colon adenomas and colorectal cancer in Jordan.

Objectives This study aimed to determine the overall incidence, trend, and epidemiology of cancer among Jordanians from 2000 to 2013 using data extracted from Jordan's Cancer Registry (JCR). Methods All cancer cases among Jordanians registered between 2000 and 2013 were analyzed using CanReg software and SPSS. The overall crude incidence rates (CIRs) and the age standardized rates (ASRs) of cancer per 100,000 were calculated. Results A total of 58788 cancer cases were registered during the period 2000-2013. Of those, 28545 (48.6%) were males and 30243 (51.4%) were females. About three-quarters (77.3%) of the registered patients were ≥ 40 years in age. Overall, the average crude cancer incidence rate was 82.8/100,000 population during the 14-year study period. On the other hand, the ASR was 126/100,000 during the same period (124.2 /100,000 for males and 128.4 /100,000 for females). The cumulative top cancers among males were colorectal, lung, lymphoma, urinary bladder, and prostate, respectively, while those among females were breast, colorectal, lymphoma, thyroid, and uterine. The number of cancer cases has increased from 3370 in 2000 to 5409 in 2013 (60.5% increase over the 14 years). The percentage of increase was 68.4% in females and 52.5% in males. The ASR has also increased from 113.6 per 100,000 in 2000 to 142.1 per 100.000 in 2013 with a 25.1% of increase during the 14 years. Conclusion Over the 14-year study period, incidence of cancer in Jordan has increased. However, it remains lower than that in other Eastern Mediterranean and Western countries. We recommend initiating screening programs for the most common types of cancer in Jordan that have valid screening tests to detect cancer during its early stages and reduce overall morbidity and mortality.

The evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic in Jordan during the first 10 months of the epidemic was peculiar and can be easily categorized in three different phases: a first period featuring a very low number of reported cases, a second period with exponential growth from August with up to 8000 cases on the 18th November 2020, and a third phase with steady and progressive decline of the epidemiological curve. With the aim of better determine the entity of the population exposed to SARS-CoV-2, the Jordan Ministry of Health with the support of the WHO launched three rounds of the nationwide sero-prevalence survey. Using population proportionate to size (PPS) methodology, around 5000 individuals were selected from all Jordan governorates. Blood samples were collected from all participants and ELISA assays for total IgM, IgG antibodies to COVID-19 were used for testing at the National Public Health Laboratory. Results revealed that seroprevalence dramatically increased over time, with only a tiny fraction of seropositive individuals in August (0.3%), to increase up to more than 20-fold in October (7.0%) and to reach one-third of the overall population exposed by the end of 2020 (34.2%). While non age-specific trends were detected in infection rates across different age categories, in all three rounds of the seroprevalence study two out of three positive participants did not report any sign and/or symptom compatible with COVID-19. The serial cross-sectional surveys experience in Jordan allowed to gain additional insights of the epidemic over time in combination with context-specific aspects like adherence to public health and social measures (PHSM). On the other hand, such findings would be helpful for planning of public health mitigation measures like vaccinations and tailored restriction policies.

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