Almost 170 million years of healthy life are lost to cancer across the globe each year, according to a new analysis published today.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Lyon, France, said the findings from its research was an “important first step towards establishing an evidence base for fatal and non-fatal cancer-related outcomes that is urgently needed to set priorities in cancer control”.
Lead author Dr Isabelle Soerjomataram and colleagues used the disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) measurement to take account of both the effects of fatal cancer, and that of disabling non-fatal disease outcomes, such as mastectomy for breast cancer or infertility for cervical cancer.
Analysing data from worldwide cancer registries, they estimate that 169.3 million years of healthy life were lost due to cancer in 2008.
“While overall DALYs are remarkably similar across different levels of human development, they reflect a higher average premature mortality in lower income countries and a higher average disability and impairment in higher income countries,” explained Dr Soerjomataram.
Co-author Dr Freddie Bray, added: “Our findings illustrate quite starkly how cancer is already a barrier to sustainable development in many of the poorest countries across the world and this will only be exacerbated in the coming years if cancer control is neglected.”
The authors say that their study also highlights the fact that improved access to high-quality treatment has not greatly led to better survival for a number of common cancers associated with poor prognoses.
Asia and Europe were the main contributors to the global burden of years of healthy life lost due to cancer, with men in eastern Europe facing the largest cancer burden worldwide – 3,146 age-adjusted DALYs lost per 100 000 men. For women, the highest burden was found in sub-Saharan Africa, with 2,749 age-adjusted DALYs lost per 100 000 women.
Colorectal, lung, breast, and prostate cancers were the main contributors to total DALYs rates in most regions, accounting for 18-50 per cent of the total cancer burden.
Leave a Reply