The aim of the present paper was to assess the national burden of colorectal cancer in Lithuania, and to determine the performance of Lithuania for the control of colorectal cancer compared with 45 European nations by ranking. Seven sources of data and information were used. The majority of the findings on disease burden are reported in the present study in the form of the crude and age-standardised incidence, age-specific and age-standardised mortality, disability adjusted life years (DALYs), years lived with disability (YLDs) and years of life lost (YLLs) per 100,000 individuals per year by gender and in the two genders combined between 1990 and 2011. Colorectal cancer was ranked as the 3rd leading cause of disease burden out of all malignancies. Overall, the crude incidence was 35 per 100,000 individuals in 2001 and 51 per 100,000 individuals in 2011 in Lithuania. Incidence and mortality from colorectal cancer varied markedly within Lithuania. The number of DALYs and YLLs slightly declined between 2005 and 2010. YLLs contributed 97% of the total burden due to colorectal cancer in 1990, and 96% in 2010. The mortality rate was 4-5 times higher in males aged 50-54 years than in males aged 45-49. The YLDs per 100,000 individuals per year in Lithuania increased by 61.1% between 1990 and 2010. However, Lithuania was below the average of the Central & Eastern, Southern, Northern and Western regions of Europe. It was concluded that the national colorectal cancer service provision should be amplified and that a programme for the prevention and control of colorectal cancer is required.
Keywords: Lithuania; burden of disease; colorectal cancer; disability-adjusted life years; incidence; mortality.