Epidemiology and prognostic analysis of patients with pancreatic signet ring cell carcinoma: a population-based study

Abstract

Background Pancreatic signet ring cell carcinoma (PSRCC) is a rare tumour subtype with poorly understood epidemiological characteristics and prognosis. We attempted to comprehensively characterise the epidemiology and survival outcomes of PSRCC. Methods Patients diagnosed with PSRCC between 2000 and 2018 were identified using Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Stat 8.3.9.2 software. Age-adjusted incidence and survival were calculated. Survival curves were plotted using the Kaplan–Meier method, and the differences between survival curves were compared using the log-rank test. Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate factors that independently predict overall survival. The primary analysis was a complete case analysis; multiple imputations were employed in a sensitivity analysis. Results We identified 585 eligible patients with PSRCC. The overall annual incidence from 2000 to 2018 was 0.349 (95% CI, 0.321–0.379) per million population. The incidence increased significantly in patients over 55 years of age and peaked at about 80 years of age (2.12 per million). Males and Black patients had the highest incidence. The observed survival rates at 1, 2 and 5 years were 20.1, 8.3 and 3.4%, respectively. Survival analysis revealed that primary surgery and chemotherapy are effective treatments for patients with PSRCC (P < 0.05). According to multivariate Cox regression analysis, early stage and receiving surgery and chemotherapy were favourable factors (P < 0.05). Similar conclusions were drawn from the interpolated data. Conclusions PSRCC is a highly malignant tumour that predominates in elderly, male and Black patients. The prognosis is poor with a 5-year survival rate of 3.4%; however, multivariate analysis and adjusted models accounting for missing data revealed that early diagnosis, surgery and chemotherapy are effective in improving the prognosis.

Prognosis prediction and comparison between pancreatic signet ring cell carcinoma and pancreatic duct adenocarcinoma: a retrospective observational study

“…A study conducted by Nie et al. showed that early diagnosis, surgery and chemotherapy are effective methods to improve the prognosis of PSRCC ( 10 ).The stage at diagnosis is significantly correlated with the prognosis of patients, and the later the stage, the worse the prognosis ( 10 ). Furthermore, Tracey et al.…”

“…However, due to its low incidence, no predictive models have been reported for PSRCC and it is unclear whether there is a difference in prognosis between PSRCC and common PDACs. Considering the overall increase in PC incidence, high mortality, limited treatment options, poor prognosis, and short overall survival (OS), a few PSRCC studies suggest an urgent need for methods to calculate the survival probability of PSRCC patients based on different prognostic factors ( 10 ). The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database contains population-based clinical survival data from registries covering 34.6% of the US population ( 11 ).…”