Cancer incidence and mortality in Gansu province, 2012

Population-based cancer registration data in 2012 from all available cancer registries in Gansu province were collected by the Central Cancer Registry of Gansu. The numbers of new cancer cases and cancer deaths in Gansu province with compiled cancer incidence and mortality rates were estimated.

In 2015, data from 7 registries in Gansu province were qualified. The pooled data were stratified by area (urban/rural), gender, age group (0, 1.4, 5.9, 10.14, …, 85+) and cancer type. New cancer cases and deaths were estimated using age-specific rates and corresponding population of Gansu province in 2012. The Chinese census data in 2000 and Segi's population were applied for age-standardized rates. All the rates were expressed per 100,000 person-years.

Qualified 7 cancer registries (3 urban and 4 rural registries) covered 2,956,560 populations of Gansu province in 2012. The percentage of cases morphologically verified (MV%) and death certificate-only cases (DCO%) were 72.41% and 1.65%, respectively, and the mortality to incidence rate ratio (M/I) was 0.63. It was estimated that there were 575,600 new cancer cases and 331,300 cancer deaths in Gansu province in 2012. The incidence rate was 223.29/100,000 (244.14/100,000 in males and 201.50/100,000 in females), the age-standardized incidence rates by Chinese standard population (ASIRC) and by world standard population (ASIRW) were 208.95/100,000 and 206.41/100,000 with the cumulative incidence rate (0.74 years old) of 22.49%. The crude incidence rate in urban areas was equal to that in rural areas. However, after adjusted by age, the cancer incidence rate in urban was the same as that of rural areas. The crude mortality in Gansu province was 128.54/100,000 (135.04/100,000 in males and 124.43/100,000 in females), the age-standardized mortality rates by Chinese standard population (ASMRC) and by world standard population (ASMRW) were 109.54/100,000 and 108.44/100,000, respectively, and the cumulative mortality rate (0.74 years old) was 12.91%. The crude cancer mortality rate in urban areas was higher than that of rural areas. However, the agestandardized rate in urban areas was the same as that of rural areas. Cancers of stomach, liver, lung, esophagus, female breast, colorectum, cervix, brain, pancreas and ovary were the most common cancers, accounting for about 83.56% of all cancer new cases. Stomach cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer, esophageal cancer, female breast cancer, colorectal cancer, brain cancer, lymphoma, pancreatic cancer and cervix cancer were the leading causes of cancer death, accounting for about 85.58% of all cancer deaths. The burden between urban and rural, males and females was different.

Registration data of Gansu province were qualified to provide basic information on population-based cancer incidence, mortality for cancer prevention and control. The digestive tract cancer burden in Gansu province, especially for males in rural areas, was higher. The incidence rate of female breast cancer was higher in urban areas. Targeted prevention, early detection and treatment programs should be carried out by health department to control the cancer burden.