# Global burden of cancer in adolescents and young adults aged 10–24 years: a trend analysis

## TL;DR

This study analyzed global cancer trends in adolescents and young adults from 1990 to 2021, finding rising cancer incidence and regional disparities.

## Contribution

The novel contribution is a comprehensive global assessment of cancer burden in 10–24-year-olds using GBD data and a BAPC model.

## Key findings

- Cancer incidence and prevalence rates increased globally, especially in high SDI regions.
- Death and DALY rates decreased globally but remained highest in low SDI regions like South America and Africa.
- Leukemia, brain cancers, and bone neoplasms were the leading causes of cancer death in this age group in 2021.

## Abstract

Cancer is an important cause of human death. We aimed to analyze the cancer burden in adolescents and young adults aged 10–24 years at global, regional, and national levels from 1990 to 2021.

We analyzed global burden of disease (GBD) data from 1990 to 2021 to assess the cancer-related incidence, prevalence, death, disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), and the corresponding age-standardized rates (ASRs) in adolescents and young adults aged 10–24 years by region, country, sociodemographic index(SDI), etiology and gender stratification. In addition, we evaluated health inequities caused by cancer burden from 1990 to 2021 and used bayesian age-period-cohort (BAPC) model to assess trend of the total cancer burden in adolescents and young adults aged 10–24 years.

In 2021, there were 235, 249.05(95%UI, 21, 7211.16 to 251, 1070.1) new cancer cases in adolescents and young adults aged 10–24 years and 94856.02 (95%UI: 85970.2 to 102769.63) deaths worldwide. In addition, there were 13499, 913.04 (95%UI, 1252506.95 to 1442998.32) prevalent cases and 6, 918, 657.72 (95%UI: 6, 254, 353.93 to 7, 480202.6) DALYs. Over the past 30 years, the age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) and the age-standardized prevalence rate (ASPR) of total cancer in adolescents and young adults aged 10–24 years have increased globally, with the most significant increases in regions with high SDI, such as North America and parts of Europe and Asia. The age-standardized death rate(ASDR) and age-standardized DALY rate of total cancer have decreased significantly globally in adolescents and young adults aged 10–24 years. The ASDR and age-standardized DALY rate of total cancer in adolescents and young adults aged 10–24 years were highest in countries with lower SDI, particularly in South America and Africa. Among all regions, Tokelau, Niue, and Afghanistan had the highest ASDR in 2021. Among all cancers, leukemia, brain cancers and malignant neoplasm of bone & articular cartilage were the most common causes of cancer death in adolescents and young adults aged 10–24 years in 2021.

Globally, the total cancer burden of adolescents and young adults aged 10–24 years have increased significantly over the past 30 years. Differences in adolescent and young adult cancer burden were evident across regions with different SDI levels. Developing effective strategies to reduce the total cancer burden of adolescents and young adults was critical to promoting global equity and population health.