Epidemiological characteristics of neuroendocrine neoplasms in Beijing: a population-based retrospective study

TL;DR

This study analyzed the rising incidence and survival trends of neuroendocrine neoplasms in Beijing from 1998 to 2018, highlighting gender and site-specific differences.

Contribution

The study provides the first detailed population-based analysis of NENs in Beijing, China, over two decades.

Findings

NEN incidence in Beijing increased from 1.07/100,000 to 3.53/100,000 between 1998 and 2018, peaking in the 70–74 age group.

Men had a significantly higher incidence (4.41/100,000) compared to women (1.69/100,000).

Lung NENs had worse survival than extrapulmonary NENs, and male patients had worse survival than female patients.

Abstract

The incidence of neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) is rising rapidly worldwide. However, there are few reports on these heterogeneous diseases in China. Our study aimed to explore the epidemiological characteristics of NENs in Beijing.

We conducted a retrospective cohort study using population-based cancer surveillance data in Beijing, China. All data were extracted from the Beijing Cancer Registry with incidence dates from 1 January 1998 to 31 December 2018; the follow-up period was through 31 December 2021. Segi’s world standard population was used to estimate the age-standardized rate. Survival was estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method.

From 1998 to 2018, the incidence of NENs in Beijing initially showed a significant increasing trend, from 1.07/100,000 to 3.53/100,000; this began to plateau after 2013. The age-specific incidence rate increased with age and peaked in the age group 70–74 years. The incidence in men was significantly higher than that in women (4.41/100,000 vs. 1.69/100,000). The most common sites of NENs were the lung (2.38/100,000) and rectum (0.14/100,000). Most NENs were diagnosed at a late stage. We found that NENs originating from the lung had worse overall survival than extrapulmonary NENs, and male patients had worse survival than female patients.

This study retrospectively analyzed the epidemiological characteristics of NENs in Beijing from 1998 to 2018. Our findings provide a reference regarding the epidemiological statistics of NENs in Beijing to contribute to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of these specific tumors.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-024-18845-8.

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