International burden of cancer deaths and years of life lost from cancer attributable to four major risk factors: a population-based study in Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and United States

Harriet Rumgay; Citadel J Cabasag; Judith Offman; Marianna de Camargo Cancela; Anton Barchuk; Prashant Mathur; Shaoming Wang; Wenqiang Wei; Peter Sasieni; Isabelle Soerjomataram

doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.102289

International burden of cancer deaths and years of life lost from cancer attributable to four major risk factors: a population-based study in Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and United States

EClinicalMedicine. 2023 Nov 15:66:102289. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.102289. eCollection 2023 Dec.

Authors

Harriet Rumgay¹, Citadel J Cabasag¹, Judith Offman^{2

3}, Marianna de Camargo Cancela⁴, Anton Barchuk^{5

6}, Prashant Mathur⁷, Shaoming Wang⁸, Wenqiang Wei⁸, Peter Sasieni^{2

3}, Isabelle Soerjomataram¹

Affiliations

¹ Cancer Surveillance Branch, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France.
² School of Cancer & Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King's College London, London, UK.
³ Centre for Prevention, Detection and Diagnosis, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
⁴ Division of Cancer Surveillance and Data Analysis, Brazilian National Cancer Institute (INCA), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
⁵ Institute for Interdisciplinary Health Research, European University at St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Russia.
⁶ ITMO University, St. Petersburg, Russia.
⁷ Indian Council of Medical Research - National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research, Bengaluru, India.
⁸ National Central Cancer Registry, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.

Abstract

Background: We provide a comprehensive view of the impact of alcohol consumption, tobacco smoking, excess body weight, and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection on cancer mortality and years of life lost (YLLs) in Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, the United Kingdom (UK), and United States (US).

Methods: We collected population attributable fractions of the four risk factors from global population-based studies and applied these to estimates of cancer deaths in 2020 to obtain potentially preventable cancer deaths and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Using life tables, we calculated the number and age-standardised rates of YLLs (ASYR).

Findings: In Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, the UK, and the US in 2020, an estimated 5.9 million (3.3 million-8.6 million) YLLs from cancer were attributable to alcohol consumption, 20.8 million (17.0 million-24.6 million) YLLs to tobacco smoking, 3.1 million (2.4 million-3.8 million) YLLs to excess body weight, and 4.0 million (3.9 million-4.2 million) YLLs to HPV infection. The ASYR from cancer due to alcohol consumption was highest in China (351.4 YLLs per 100,000 population [95% CI 194.5-519.2]) and lowest in the US (113.5 [69.6-157.1]) and India (115.4 [49.7-172.7). For tobacco smoking, China (1159.9 [950.6-1361.8]) had the highest ASYR followed by Russia (996.8 [831.0-1154.5). For excess body weight, Russia and the US had the highest ASYRs (385.1 [280.6-481.2] and 369.4 [299.6-433.6], respectively). The highest ASYR due to HPV infection was in South Africa (457.1 [453.3-462.6]). ASYRs for alcohol consumption and tobacco smoking were higher among men than women, whereas women had higher ASYRs for excess body weight and HPV infection.

Interpretation: Our findings demonstrate the importance of cancer control efforts to reduce the burden of cancer death and YLLs due to modifiable cancer risk factors and promote the use of YLLs to summarise disease burden.

Funding: Cancer Research UK.

Keywords: Cancer control; Cancer mortality; Cancer prevention; Risk factors; Years of life lost.

Grants and funding

001/WHO_/World Health Organization/International