Status and trends of early-onset cancers and their risk factors in China: population-based study

This study aimed to assess the burden of early-onset cancers in China and the trends in their associated risk factors based on the latest cancer statistics.

We integrated and analysed data on 34 cancers in China from the Global Burden of Disease 2021 study and the Global Cancer Observatory 2022 project. The primary outcomes included age-standardised incidence (ASIR), mortality (ASMR), and disability-adjusted life years rates (ASDR), and the average annual percent change.

In 2022, an estimated 743 688 new cases and 159 167 cancer-related deaths caused by early-onset cancers in China, with an ASIR of 98.37 per 100 000, and an ASMR of 21.40 per 100 000. Thyroid cancer, breast cancer, and cervical cancer were the most common cancers among female, while thyroid cancer, liver and intrahepatic bile ducts cancer, and trachea, bronchus, and lung (TBL) cancer were the most common cancers among male. Breast cancer, cervical cancer, and TBL cancer had the highest mortality rates in female, while liver and intrahepatic bile ducts cancer, TBL cancer, and colorectal cancer had the highest rates in male. From 1990-2021, the largest increases in ASIR, ASMR, and ASDR were observed for early-onset neuroblastoma and other peripheral nervous cell tumours, multiple myeloma, and kidney cancer. Smoking and high body mass index remained the primary risk factors contributing to disability-adjusted life years for most early-onset cancers.

Developing targeted health prevention strategies for specific cancer types and promoting healthy lifestyles could help reduce the burden of early-onset cancers in China.