A global view on cancer incidence and national levels of the human development index

Socioeconomic factors are associated with cancer incidence through complex and variable pathways. We assessed cancer incidence for all cancers combined and 27 major types according to national human development levels. Using GLOBOCAN data for 184 countries, age‐standardized incidence rates (ASRs) we...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of cancer 2016-12, Vol.139 (11), p.2436-2446
Main Authors: Fidler, Miranda M., Soerjomataram, Isabelle, Bray, Freddie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cancer
Cervix
Developed Countries - statistics & numerical data
Developing Countries - statistics & numerical data
Female
Females
Gallbladder
Global Health
Health risk assessment
human development
Humans
Incidence
international
Leukemia
Life span
Lung cancer
Lungs
Lymphoma
Male
Males
Medical research
Melanoma
Multiple myeloma
Neoplasms - economics
Neoplasms - epidemiology
Nervous system
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
Oral cavity
Ovarian cancer
Pancreas
Pancreatic cancer
Pharynx
Sarcoma
Skin
socioeconomic
Socioeconomic data
Socioeconomic Factors
Socioeconomics
Thyroid
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Summary:Socioeconomic factors are associated with cancer incidence through complex and variable pathways. We assessed cancer incidence for all cancers combined and 27 major types according to national human development levels. Using GLOBOCAN data for 184 countries, age‐standardized incidence rates (ASRs) were assessed by four levels (low, medium, high, very high) of the Human Development Index (HDI), a composite index of life expectancy, education, and gross national income. A strong positive relationship between overall cancer incidence and HDI level was observed. When comparing the ASR in very high HDI regions with that in low HDI regions, we observed a positive association ranging from 2 to 14 and 2 to 11 times higher in males and females, respectively, depending on the cancer type. Positive dose–response relationships between the ASR and HDI level were observed in both sexes for the following cancer types: lung, pancreas, leukemia, gallbladder, colorectum, brain/nervous system, kidney, multiple myeloma, and thyroid. Positive associations were also observed for testicular, bladder, lip/oral cavity, and other pharyngeal cancers, Hodgkin lymphoma, and melanoma of the skin in males, and corpus uteri, breast, and ovarian cancers and non‐Hodgkin lymphoma in females. A negative dose–response relationship was observed for cervical and other pharyngeal cancers and Kaposi sarcoma in females. Although the relationship between incidence and the HDI remained when assessed at the country‐specific level, variations in risk within HDI levels were also observed. We highlight positive and negative associations between incidence and human development for most cancers, which will aid the planning of cancer control priorities among countries undergoing human development transitions. What's new? Societal and economic advancements, which lead to lifestyle changes and the development of more technologically complex human environments, have profound effects on the scale and profile of cancer. This global assessment of the link between national human development and the incidence of 27 cancer types reveals differing cancer profiles across levels of the Human Development Index, with marked risk gradients observed for specific cancers. In particular, cancers associated with westernization and socioeconomic advancement are displacing infection‐related cancers worldwide. These findings offer insight into human development‐related cancer incidence and the future global cancer burden, and co
ISSN:0020-7136
1097-0215
DOI:10.1002/ijc.30382