Published online Aug 28, 2022. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v28.i32.4698
Peer-review started: March 2, 2022
First decision: April 12, 2022
Revised: May 5, 2022
Accepted: June 20, 2022
Article in press: June 20, 2022
Published online: August 28, 2022
Processing time: 176 Days and 23.6 Hours
Pancreatic cancer, as the one of most fatal malignancies, remains a critical issue in the global burden of disease.
The main motivation of this study was to describe the international patterns in incidence and mortality trends of pancreatic cancer in the last three decades. Accurate assessment of pancreatic cancer burden is crucial for more effective disease control.
The aim of this study was to estimate trends in incidence and mortality due to pancreatic cancer in the world in the last three decades.
A descriptive epidemiological study was done. Pancreatic cancer incidence and mortality data were obtained from the World Health Organization database. The age-standardized rates (expressed per 100000) were presented. To estimate trends of incidence and mortality of pancreatic cancer, joinpoint regression analysis was used: the average annual percent change (AAPC) with the corresponding 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was calculated.
The general pattern of rising pancreatic cancer incidence and mortality was seen across countries worldwide. Out of all countries with an increase in pancreatic cancer incidence, females in France and India showed the most marked rise in incidence rates (AAPC = +3.9% and AAPC = +3.7%, respectively). Decreasing pancreatic cancer incidence trends have been observed in some countries but without significance. Out of all countries with an increase in pancreatic cancer mortality rates, Turkmenistan showed the most marked rise both in males (AAPC = +10.0%, 95%CI: 7.4%–12.5%) and females (AAPC = +6.4%, 95%CI: 3.5%–9.5%). The mortality trends of pancreatic cancer were decreasing in both sexes only in Canada and Mexico.
The increasing trends in incidence and mortality from pancreatic cancer were observed across the world, particularly in developed countries. The favorable pattern in trends in incidence and mortality of pancreatic cancer was reported in only a few countries.
Further research is needed to explain the cause of large international differences in incidence and mortality trends of pancreatic cancer.