Association between Socioeconomic Inequality and the Burden of Colon and Rectum Cancer in Asia: GLOBOCAN Sources and...

Colon cancer is the third most common malignancy worldwide, which is increasing in middle-income countries. Our aim in this study was to investigate the association between socioeconomic inequality and the burden of Colon and rectum cancer in Asia.

All accessible data sources from 1990 to 2019 Global Burden of Disease study were used to estimate the prevalence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years and the burden of Colon and rectum cancer in Asia. We estimated all-cause and cause-specific mortality, years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). All estimates were presented as counts and age-standardized rates per 100,000 populations with uncertainty intervals (UIs). The concentration index was used to calculate inequality.

The incidence and mortality of colon and rectum cancer have been increasing in recent years. The highest incidence (49.37 per 100,000) and mortality (30.25 per 100,000) belong to Brunei. The concentration index showed that the incidence and mortality rate of colon cancer is higher in countries with a high life expectancy, education level, and Gross domestic product (GDP). The highest DALY of disease (626.12 per 100,000) and YLL (603.43 per 100,000) belonged to Brunei, and the highest YLD of disease (32.67 per 100,000) belonged to Taiwan. The results revealed that the burden of the disease, YLL, and YLD for colon cancer are concentrated more in countries with a higher human development index.

Considering the rising trend of colon cancer burden in Asia and given the fact that the incidence, mortality, and burden of the disease are concentrated more in countries with a higher socioeconomic status, it is essential to obtain accurate estimations in these countries and to identify the associated factors to prepare for potential changes in the burden of public health caused by the disease.