Objective: To investigate the incidence, mortality, and disease burden of cancer in China to provide a reference for cancer prevention and control.
Methods: Cancer registry data (2006-2010) were collected from the Chinese Cancer Registry Annual Report by the National Center for Cancer Registries. Cancer incidence and mortality, potential years of life lost (PYLL), and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) were calculated.
Results: The cancer incidence rate was 267.13/100,000 overall, 299.13/100,000 in men, and 234.06/100,000 in women (1.2 times higher in men than in women). The cancer mortality rate was 176.32/100,000 overall, 220.54/100,000 in men, and 130.60/100,000 in women (1.6 times higher in men than in women). The incidence rate was higher in urban areas (285.97/100,000) than in rural areas (250.91/100,000), whereas the mortality rate was higher in rural areas (179.25/100,000) than in urban areas (172.91/100,000). The rural: urban incidence ratio decreased from 0.89 in 2006 to 0.69 in 2010, and the rural: urban mortality ratio decreased from 1.10 to 0.91 in the same years. PYLL rates and DALY rates were higher in men (16.45 and 22.19, respectively) than in women (11.22 and 13.87, respectively) and in rural areas (17.6 and 22.17, respectively) than in urban areas (12.6 and 17.09, respectively). The male: female ratios for PYLL and DALY rates were 1.46 and 1.6, respectively. The rural: urban ratios for PYLL and DALY rates decreased from 1.63 in 2006 to 1.22 in 2010 and from 1.51 in 2006 to 1.08 in 2010, respectively.
Conclusion: The disease burden of cancer in China in 2006-2010 was substantial, particularly for men and residents of rural districts.
Keywords: China; Incidence; burden of disease; cancer; mortality.