Soft Tissue Sarcoma Burden and Research Productivity: Global Patterns and Disparities, 1990-2021

Soft tissue sarcoma (STS) is a rare and diverse type of cancer, with a disproportionate incidence and limited global epidemiological studies. This study aims to analyze the long-term trends and epidemiological features of the global burden of STS from 1990 to 2021 and to reveal the global research productivity on STS.

The global burden of STS was analyzed using the methods and results of the 2021 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study, focusing on incidence, prevalence, mortality, disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), and corresponding age-standardized rates. We also analyzed STS epidemiological trends using joinpoint and age-period-cohort (APC) methods, and assessed research productivity through a composite metric incorporating funding inputs, scientific outputs, drug development pipelines, and clinical trial activity.

In 2021, it was estimated that there were approximately 96,201 cases of sarcoma worldwide, resulting in 50,203 deaths. The age-standardized incidence rate was 1.16 cases per 100,000 population-years (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 1.0-1.41), while the mortality rate stood at 20.54 deaths per 100,000 population-years (95% UI: 17.46-26.09). Socioeconomic gradients were evident, with a higher incidence in high-HDI countries and mortality rates that were twice as high in low-HDI countries than in middle-HDI countries. The impacts of age, period, and cohort on mortality rates varied. The research productivity of STS have generally increased across the Socio-Demographic Index (SDI), but effective treatments remain lacking.

The global burden of STS relatively stable from 1990 to 2021, with notable geographic disparities. Global investment in basic research related to sarcomas has increased, but treatment options remain limited.