Global, regional, and national burden of gastrointestinal cancers in early onset and young women, 1990-2021: analysis of data from the Global Burden of Disease study 2021.

BACKGROUND

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers present a substantial challenge to public health. Research on the burden of GI cancers among early onset and young women is limited. This study aims to investigate the burden of GI cancers among women aged 15 to 49 years, thereby addressing the existing research gap.

METHODS

This study employed data from Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 to assess the trends in incidence, prevalence, mortality, and Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) of GI cancers among early onset and young women from 1990 to 2021. The temporal trends were evaluated by calculating estimated annual percentage changes (EAPCs). The socio-demographic index (SDI) was employed to examine the relationship between burden-related indicators and socio-economic development.

RESULTS

In 2021, among GI cancers, colorectal cancer (CRC) and stomach cancer (SC) accounted for the predominant proportion of the age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) and age-standardized prevalence rate (ASPR), with rates of 26.39 and 5.41 per 100,000, respectively. Moreover, CRC has been recognized as the principal contributor to age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) and age-standardized DALY rate (ASDALYR), with respective rates of 1.57 and 79.49 per 100,000. A decline was observed in most GI cancers from 1990 to 2021, with SC exhibiting the most pronounced reduction. It is significant that the ASPR for CRC demonstrated a marginal increase. CRC, pancreatic cancer, and gallbladder and biliary tract cancer exhibited the highest ASIR in the high SDI region, while liver cancer and esophageal cancer had the highest ASIR in the low SDI region, and SC had the highest ASIR in the high-middle SDI region. GI cancers in early onset and young women have emerged as a significant global public health concern.

CONCLUSIONS

GI cancers exhibit considerable regional and national variations in incidence, prevalence, mortality, and DALYs. Future research should focus on identifying risk factors in young women and optimizing early screening. Public health policies need to allocate resources based on regional disease burden and socio-economic status. Robust cancer registries and cross-resource sharing platforms for prevention and treatment are essential to reduce the global GI cancer burden in this population.