AgeStandardized Incidence Rates and Survival of Osteosarcoma in Northern Thailand.

Osteosarcoma is a common primary malignant bone tumor in children and adolescents. Recent worldwide average incidences of osteosarcoma in people aged 0 to 24 years were 4.3 and 3.4 per million, respectively, with a ratio of 1.4:1. However, data on the incidence of osteosarcoma in Thailand are limited. This study analyzed the incidence of osteosarcoma in the upper northern region of Thailand, with a population of 5.85 million people (8.9% of the total Thai population), using data for the years 1998 to 2012, obtained from the Chiang Mai Cancer Registry (CMCR) at Chiang Mai University Hospital and the Lampang Cancer Registry (LCR) at the Lampang Cancer Hospital, a total of 144 cases. The overall annual incidence of osteosarcoma was 1.67 per million with a male:female ratio of 1.36:1. Incidences by age group (male and female) at 0 to 24, 25 to 59 and over 60 years were 3.5 (3.9 and 3.0), 0.8 (0.9 and 0.6), and 0.7 (0.8 and 0.5), respectively. The peak incidence occurred at 15 to 19 years for males and at 10 to 14 years for females. The median survival time was 18 months with a 5year survival rate of 43%. Neither the age group nor the 5year interval period of treatment was significantly correlated with survival during the 15year period studied.

Comparison of Human Papillomavirus Detection in Urine and Cervical Samples Using High-Risk HPV DNA Testing in Northern Thailand.

Objective. To evaluate the performance of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing in urine samples compared to that of cervical sample testing in Northern Thailand. Methods. Paired urine and cervical samples were collected during the follow-up of women with a previous positive HPV test. HPV testing was performed using the Cobas 4800 HPV Test. Linear Array assay was used for genotyping in selected cases. Results. Paired urine and cervical samples were obtained from 168 women. Of 123 paired samples with valid results, agreement in the detection of high-risk HPV DNA was present in 106 cases (86.2%), with a kappa statistic of 0.65 (substantial agreement). Using the cervical HPV results as a reference, the sensitivity of urine HPV testing was 68.6% (24/35) and the specificity 93.2% (82/88). For the detection of histologic high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion or worse (HSIL+), the sensitivity of urine HPV testing was 80.0% (4/5) and the specificity 78.0% (92/118). Conclusion. Although urine HPV testing had a rather low sensitivity for HPV detection, its sensitivity for histologic HSIL+ detection was high. For clinical use of urine HPV testing, standardization of specimen collection and processing techniques or application of a more sensitive test, especially in the detection of HPV52 and HPV58, is necessary.