[Epidemiological characteristics of prostatic cancer in China and worldwide]

Objective: To analyze the distribution and temporal trends of the disease burden of prostate cancer, and to explore the relationship between the socioeconomic level and the disease burden. Methods: Data abstracted from GLOBOCAN 2022 were used to analyze the difference in the burden of prostate cancer at regional, national, and human development index (HDI) levels. Spearman test was used to explore the correlation between HDI and disease burden, and restricted cubic splines were used to fit the curve. Data in Cancer Incidence in Five Continents (CI5) was used to analyze the temporal trend of the prostate cancer incidence from 1988 to 2017, expressed by average annual percentage change (AAPC). Results: In 2022, the global estimated number of new cases of prostate cancer was 1 468 000, with an age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) of 29.4/10⁵. The estimated number of deaths was 397 000, with the age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) of 7.3/10⁵. Large disparities in disease burden exited across regions and countries. In 2022, the estimated number of new cases in China was 134 000, with 48 000 deaths. The ASIR was 9.7/10⁵, and the ASMR was 3.3/10⁵. According to different HDI levels, the highest ASIR (57.7/10⁵) was found in the very high HDI areas and the highest ASMR (14.0/10⁵) was found in the low HDI areas. Spearman correlation analysis showed that HDI was positively correlated with ASIR (r=0.49) and 1-mortality/incidence (r=0.84) and ASMR (r=-0.19) was negatively correlated with HDI. From 1988 to 2017, the country with the highest increase in the incidence rate of prostate cancer was found in China (AAPC=7.7%), and decreased most in the United States (AAPC=-1.4%), both P＜0.05. Conclusion: The burden of prostate cancer is still relatively heavy globally, with different countries and regions showing different burden patterns, which are closely related to the level of development.