1573P - Global cancer statistics for adolescents and young adults: New estimates from GLOBOCAN 2022

Background

Accurately estimating the cancer burden in adolescents and young adults (AYAs) is crucial for resource planning and prioritizing health policies. We aimed to delineate the global scale and profile of cancer incidence and mortality among AYAs.

Methods

We defined AYA cancers as those occurring between the ages of 15 and 39 years. Utilizing data from the GLOBOCAN 2022 database, we reported the number of new cancer cases and deaths, along with age-standardized incidence (ASIR) and mortality (ASMR) rates per 100000 population, on a global scale and stratified by sex, histologic subtype, geographic region, and level of human development index (HDI). The association between sociodemographic factors and Mortality-to-Incidence ratio (MIR) were explored, and the burden of incidence and mortality was projected.

Results

In 2022, an estimated 1300196 new cancer cases and 377621 cancer-related deaths occurred among AYAs, with an ASIR of 40.3 and an ASMR of 11.8, disproportionally greater among females. The most prevalent cancer types in terms of new cases included breast cancer, thyroid cancer, cervical cancer, leukemia, and colorectal cancer. Regarding deaths, the leading contributors were breast cancer, leukemia, cervical cancer, brain/CNS cancer, and liver/IBD cancer. Cancer profiles varied significantly across regions, with Australia-New Zealand having the highest ASIR of 72.4 and Eastern Africa recording the highest ASMR of 22.3. Cancer incidence was notably higher in very high-HDI countries compared to low-HDI countries (ASIR: 54.8 vs 32.0). However, the mortality was disproportionately higher in low-HDI countries, with a twofold difference (ASMR: 17.2 vs 8.4). At the country level, both HDI and Health Access Quality showed significant associations with MIR. Furthermore, projections indicate a 12.4% increase in global incident cases of AYA cancers by 2050, with a more pronounced rise among females and individuals from low to middle HDI countries.

Conclusions

This study provides a comprehensive overview of cancer burden among AYAs, emphasizing significant geodemographic disparities in cancer patterns and outcomes, thereby serving as a crucial resource for informing policy priorities and guiding evidence-based cancer control initiatives.

Clinical trial identification

Editorial acknowledgement

Legal entity responsible for the study

The authors.

Funding

This project was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82022048, 82373121, 82103403, 82303338), the National Key R&D Program of China (2022YFC2505100, 2022YFC2505105), the Postdoctoral Research Foundation of China (2023T160146, 2023M740835), Postdoctoral Fellowship Program of CPSF (GZB20230179), and the Grant of State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease (SKLRD-Z-202401).

Disclosure

All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.