Dataset Information

Autopsy rates in the Netherlands: 35 years of decline.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Although the autopsy still is a valuable tool in health statistics, health care quality control, medical education, and biomedical research, autopsy rates have been declining worldwide. The aim of this study was to examine trends of overall, clinical and forensic autopsy rates among adults in the Netherlands over the last four decades, and trends per sex, age (groups), and hospital type.

Methods

We performed a retrospective study covering 35 years of Dutch national death counts (1977-2011), the number of in-hospital deceased patients, the number of deaths due to external causes, and the proportion of autopsies performed in these populations. The effects of sex, age and hospital category were analysed by linear and logistic regression and differences were evaluated by chi-square tests.

Results

Overall autopsy rates declined by 0.3% per calendar year, clinical autopsy rates by 0.7% per calendar year (from 31.4% to 7.7%), and forensic autopsy rates did not decline. Per calendar year the fraction of in-hospital deceased patients decreased by 0.2%. Autopsy rates were highest among men and younger patients; clinical autopsy rates were highest for patients dying in academic hospitals.

Conclusions

In the Netherlands clinical autopsy rates have rapidly declined while at the same time the fraction of in-hospital deaths decreased, both contributing to the overall reduced absolute number of autopsies performed. It is important to improve awareness among both clinicians and general practitioners of the significance of the clinical autopsy.

SUBMITTER: Blokker BM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5472266 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Autopsy rates in the Netherlands: 35 years of decline.

Blokker Britt M BM Weustink Annick C AC Hunink M G Myriam MGM Oosterhuis J Wolter JW

PloS one 20170615 6

<h4>Objective</h4>Although the autopsy still is a valuable tool in health statistics, health care quality control, medical education, and biomedical research, autopsy rates have been declining worldwide. The aim of this study was to examine trends of overall, clinical and forensic autopsy rates among adults in the Netherlands over the last four decades, and trends per sex, age (groups), and hospital type.<h4>Methods</h4>We performed a retrospective study covering 35 years of Dutch national death ...[more]

PMID: 28617835

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Project description:PurposeBreast cancer diagnosis at a very young age has been independently correlated with worse outcomes. Appropriately intensifying treatment in these patients is warranted, even as we acknowledge the risks of potentially mutagenic adjuvant therapies. We examined local control, distant control, overall survival, and secondary malignancy rates by age cohort and by initial surgical strategy.Methods and materialsFemale patients less than or equal to 35 years of age diagnosed with invasive breast cancer from January 1, 1990, to December 31, 2010, were identified. Control groups of those aged 36 to 50 years (n = 6246) and 51 to 70 years (n = 7294) were delineated from an institutional registry. Clinicopathologic and follow-up information was collected. Chi-squared test was used to compare frequencies of categorical variables. Survival endpoints were evaluated using Kaplan-Meier methodology.ResultsA total of 529 patients ≤35 years of age met criteria for analysis. The median age of diagnosis was 32 years (range 20-35). Median follow-up was 10.3 years. On multivariable analysis, factors associated with overall survival (OS) were tumor size (hazard ratio [HR] 1.14, P = .02), presence of lymphovascular invasion (HR 2.2, P <.001), estrogen receptor positivity (HR 0.64, P = .015), receipt of adjuvant chemotherapy (HR 0.52, P = .035), and black race (HR 2.87, P <.001). The ultra-young were more likely to experience local failure compared with the aged 36 to 50 group (HR 2.2, 95% CI 1.8-2.6, P < .001) and aged 51 to 70 group (HR 3.1, 95% CI 2.45 - 3.9, P <.001). The cumulative incidence of secondary malignancies at 5 and 10 years was 2.2% and 4.4%, respectively. Receipt of radiation was not significantly associated with secondary malignancies or contralateral breast cancer.ConclusionSurvival and recurrence outcomes in breast cancer patients ≤35 years are worse compared with those aged 36 to 50 or 51 to 70 years. Based on our data, breast conservation therapy is appropriate for these patients, and the concern for second malignancies should not impinge on the known indications for postoperative radiation therapy.

Dataset Information

Autopsy rates in the Netherlands: 35 years of decline.

Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Autopsy rates in the Netherlands: 35 years of decline.

Similar Datasets

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