Long-term Changes in the Premature Death Rate in Lung Cancer in a Developed Region of China: Population-based Study

Lung cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, and its incidence shows an upward trend. A study of the long-term changes in the premature death rate in lung cancer in a developed region of China has great exploratory significance to further clarify the effectiveness of intervention measures.

This study examined long-term changes in premature lung cancer death rates in order to understand the changes in mortality and to design future prevention plans in Pudong New Area (PNA), Shanghai, China.

Cancer death data were collected from the Mortality Registration System of PNA. We analyzed the crude mortality rate (CMR), age-standardized mortality rate by Segi's world standard population (ASMRW), and years of life lost (YLL) of patients with lung cancer from 1973 to 2019. Temporal trends in the CMR, ASMRW, and YLL rate were calculated by joinpoint regression expressed as an average annual percentage change (AAPC) with the corresponding 95% CI.

All registered permanent residents in PNA (80,543,137 person-years) from 1973 to 2019 were enrolled in this study. There were 42,229 deaths from lung cancer. The CMR and ASMRW were 52.43/10⁵ and 27.79/10⁵ person-years, respectively. The YLL due to premature death from lung cancer was 481779.14 years, and the YLL rate was 598.16/10⁵ person-years. The CMR and YLL rate showed significantly increasing trends in men, women, and the total population (P<.001). The CMR of the total population increased by 2.86% (95% CI 2.66-3.07, P<.001) per year during the study period. The YLL rate increased with an AAPC of 2.21% (95% CI 1.92-2.51, P<.001) per year. The contribution rates of increased CMR values caused by demographic factors were more evident than those caused by nondemographic factors.

Lung cancer deaths showed an increasing trend in PNA from 1973 to 2019. Demographic factors, such as the aging population, contributed more to an increased CMR. Our research can help us understand the changes in lung cancer mortality and can be used for similar cities in designing future prevention plans.