Evolving Global Trends in Prostate Cancer: Disparities Across Income Levels and Geographic Regions (1990-2019)

Area of Science:

• Global health
• Cancer epidemiology
• Public health policy

Background:

• Prostate cancer (PC) presents a significant global health burden, with incidence and mortality rates varying by socioeconomic factors, healthcare access, screening, and treatment.
• Understanding these disparities is crucial for targeted interventions and resource allocation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze global trends in prostate cancer (PC) incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs).
• To compare these trends across different country income levels and World Health Organization (WHO) regions from 1990 to 2019.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Global Burden of Disease Study database for age-standardized incidence rates (ASIRs), age-standardized mortality rates (ASMRs), and DALYs.
• Calculated mortality-to-incidence ratios (MIRs) and employed Joinpoint regression analysis for estimated annual percentage change.

Main Results:

• PC incidence (ASIRs) increased globally, most notably in upper-middle-income countries (+64.7%). High-income countries consistently had the highest ASIR.
• Low-income countries experienced increased mortality (ASMRs: +14.3%) and DALYs (+13.8%), contrasting with decreases in high-income nations.
• Despite decreasing mortality-to-incidence ratios (MIRs) overall, low-income countries showed the highest MIR in 2019, indicating significant mortality burden relative to incidence.

Conclusions:

• Divergent trends in PC outcomes, particularly rising mortality and DALYs in low-income countries, underscore global healthcare inequities.
• There is an urgent need to improve access to cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment in resource-limited settings.