Hematologic Malignancies Among Adults in Southeast Asia: Incidence, Mortality, and Regional Contexts

Southeast Asia (SEA), home to over 690 million people across 11 countries-Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam-features diverse socioeconomic contexts and cancer care landscapes. We report and interpret incidence and mortality statistics for hematologic malignancies (HMs) in SEA.

We analyzed 2022 Global Cancer Observatory data from the International Agency for Research on Cancer to report age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) and age-standardized mortality rates (ASMR) per 100,000 individuals age 20 years and older. We focused on non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), leukemia, multiple myeloma (MM), and Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), standardized using Segi-Doll world population estimates.

Across 11 Southeast Asian countries, age-standardized incidence and mortality rates (ASIRs and ASMRs) for HMs vary widely, highlighting significant regional disparities. Singapore consistently reports the highest ASIRs for NHL, leukemia, MM, and HL, yet its ASMRs are much lower, reflecting strong health care infrastructure. Thailand, Brunei, and Malaysia mirror these associations, which are particularly pronounced in NHL and HL. In contrast, for leukemia and MM, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam demonstrated lower ASIR and ASMR that approaches ASIR, suggesting barriers to diagnosis and survivorship. Time trends suggest increasing mortality from MM and NHL, particularly in Thailand and the Philippines. Overall, survival outcomes correlate strongly with national health care capacity.

Higher reported incidence in wealthier SEA countries may reflect greater diagnostic capacity, whereas similar incidence and mortality in low-income countries likely indicates limited access to timely diagnosis and treatment. Mortality patterns underscore the region's broad disparities in cancer care infrastructure and outcomes, shaped by socioeconomic and systemic health inequities.