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. 2020 Jul;159(1):335-349.e15.
doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2020.02.068. Epub 2020 Apr 2.

Global Burden of 5 Major Types of Gastrointestinal Cancer

Melina Arnold  1 , Christian C Abnet  2 , Rachel E Neale  3 , Jerome Vignat  4 , Edward L Giovannucci  5 , Katherine A McGlynn  2 , Freddie Bray  4
Affiliations

Global Burden of 5 Major Types of Gastrointestinal Cancer

Melina Arnold et al. Gastroenterology. 2020 Jul.

Abstract

Background & aims: There were an estimated 4.8 million new cases of gastrointestinal (GI) cancers and 3.4 million related deaths, worldwide, in 2018. GI cancers account for 26% of the global cancer incidence and 35% of all cancer-related deaths. We investigated the global burden from the 5 major GI cancers, as well as geographic and temporal trends in cancer-specific incidence and mortality.

Methods: Data on primary cancers of the esophagus, stomach, colorectum, liver, and pancreas were extracted from the GLOBOCAN database for the year 2018, as well as from the Cancer Incidence in 5 Continents series, and the World Health Organization mortality database from 1960 onward. Age-standardized incidence and mortality rates were calculated by sex, country, and level of human development.

Results: We observed geographic and temporal variations in incidence and mortality for all 5 types of GI cancers. Esophageal, gastric, and liver cancers were more common in Asia than in other parts of the world, and the burden from colorectal and pancreatic cancers was highest in Europe and North America. There was a uniform decrease in gastric cancer incidence, but an increasing incidence of colorectal cancer in formerly low-incidence regions during the studied time period. We found slight increases in incidence of liver and pancreatic cancer in some high-income regions.

Conclusions: Although the incidence of some GI cancer types has decreased, this group of malignancies continues to pose major challenges to public health. Primary and secondary prevention measures are important for controlling these malignancies-most importantly reducing consumption of tobacco and alcohol, obesity control, immunizing populations against hepatitis B virus infection, and screening for colorectal cancer.

Keywords: Cancer; Epidemiology; Global; Incidence; Mortality; Risk Factors.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: All authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Contribution of major gastrointestinal cancers to global cancer cases and deaths in 2018. Source: GLOBOCAN 2018
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Distribution of new cases and deaths by world area and cancer site in 2018. Source: GLOBOCAN 2018
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Esophageal cancer: Estimated age-standardized incidence rates per 100,000 person-years in 2018. Source: GLOBOCAN 2018
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Esophageal cancer: Trends in age-standardized incidence and mortality rates by country. Source: CI5plus and WHO Mortality Database.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Gastric cancer: Estimated age-standardized incidence rates per 100,000 person-years in 2018. Source: GLOBOCAN 2018
Figure 6.
Figure 6.
Gastric cancer: Trends in age-standardized incidence and mortality rates by country. Source: CI5plus and WHO Mortality Database.
Figure 7.
Figure 7.
Colorectal cancer: Estimated age-standardized incidence rates per 100,000 person-years in 2018. Source: GLOBOCAN 2018
Figure 8.
Figure 8.
Colorectal cancer: Trends in age-standardized incidence and mortality rates by country. Source: CI5plus and WHO Mortality Database.
Figure 9.
Figure 9.
Liver cancer: Estimated age-standardized incidence rates per 100,000 person-years in 2018. Source: GLOBOCAN 2018
Figure 10.
Figure 10.
Liver cancer: Trends in age-standardized incidence and mortality rates by country. Source: CI5plus and WHO Mortality Database.
Figure 11.
Figure 11.
Pancreatic cancer: Estimated age-standardized incidence rates per 100,000 person-years in 2018. Source: GLOBOCAN 2018
Figure 12.
Figure 12.
Pancreatic cancer: Trends in age-standardized incidence and mortality rates by country. Source: CI5plus and WHO Mortality Database.
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MeSH terms