[Cancer incidence and mortality across diverse geographical regions in China, 2024]

Objective: The National Central Cancer Registry estimates the cancer diseases burden in China in 2024. Methods: We incorporated the surveillance data from 919 cancer registries of year 2019 and the longitudinal surveillance data from 106 registries during 2010 to 2019. We estimated the age-standardized incidence (ASIR) and mortality rates (ASMR) of overall and 23 major cancers in China in 2024 using the age-period-cohort model, stratified by sex and area. The age-standardized incidence (ASIRC) and mortality (ASMRC) rates by Chinese population were calculated based on the age structure of the population from the national census in 2000. The age-standardized incidence (ASIRW) and mortality (ASMRW) rates by World population were calculated using Segi's world standard age structure. Results: In 2024, there were approximately 5 150 600 new cancer cases in China (2 672 000 for males and 2 478 600 for females), with an ASIRW of 207.70 per 100 000 (215.71 per 100 000 in urban areas and 193.74 per 100 000 in rural areas). The estimated number of cancer deaths in China was 2 582 200 (1 640 500 for males and 941 700 for females), with an ASMRW of 90.90 per 100 000 (87.34 per 100 000 in urban areas and 96.27 per 100 000 in rural areas). When comparing between different sexes, the cancer ASIRs for both males and females were relatively close. The ASMRs for males were 1.9 times that of females. When comparing among different areas, the crude cancer incidence rate in rural areas was higher than that in urban areas, while the ASIRs were lower than that in urban areas. Both the crude mortality rate and the ASMRs in rural areas were higher than those in urban areas. Among different cancer types, lung cancer ranked first in terms of both incidence and mortality, with 1 175 900 new cases and 743 300 deaths, accounting for 22.8% and 28.8% of all cancer cases and deaths, respectively. In both males and females, the ASIRs and ASMRs of liver, stomach and esophageal cancer in rural areas were higher than those in urban areas, while the ASIRs and ASMRs of colorectal cancer in urban areas were higher than those in rural areas. The ASIRs and ASMRs of cervical cancer in rural areas were higher than those in urban areas. The disease burden of prostate cancer and breast cancer in urban areas was higher than that in rural areas. The incidence and mortality rates of lung cancer ranked first in most provinces of China. The incidence rate of nasopharyngeal cancer was relatively high in Guangxi, Guangdong, Hainan and Jiangxi. Renal cancer was more prevalent in northern regions, and prostate cancer was more common in economically developed areas. The incidence rate of thyroid cancer ranked second in Zhejiang, Fujian and Xinjiang. The incidence rates of esophageal cancer and cervical cancer were significantly lower in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Guangdong. Conclusions: The overall burden of cancer in China remains significant. Different regions should formulate targeted prevention and control strategies based on the characteristics of regional cancer disease burdens.