Global and regional burden, trends, and future projections of laryngeal cancer (1990-2041)

Laryngeal cancer remains a significant global health challenge, with notable disparities across regions, socioeconomic strata, age groups, and genders. Using Global Burden of Disease data (1990-2021), we evaluated prevalence, incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years across 204 countries and 21 regions stratified by the Socio-demographic Index. Through estimated annual percentage change analyses and the autoregressive integrated moving average modeling, we projected trends to 2041. Globally, age-standardized prevalence and incidence rates declined, with sharper mortality and disability-adjusted life years reductions, reflecting tobacco control and treatment advances. High Socio-demographic Index regions showed highest prevalence but significant decreases, while middle Socio-demographic Index regions exhibited rising trends. Central Europe, Caribbean, and South Asia had heaviest burdens, correlating with tobacco/alcohol/occupational exposures. Males aged 65-74 showed highest incidence. Projections indicate continued declines in both incidence and mortality (especially among males), while prevalence is expected to remain stable. These projections underscore the need for region-specific strategies targeting smoking cessation, occupational safety, and healthcare equity to mitigate remaining disparities. Future research should refine models and enhance surveillance in resource-limited settings.