Objective: To analyze the disease burden of leukemia in the Chinese population, in 1990 and 2013.
Methods: Data related to province-specific disease burden in China was used to analyze and compare related parameters as incidence, mortality, the disability-adjusted life years (DALY), years of life lost due to premature mortality (YLL) and years lived with disability (YLD) on leukemia in China in 1990 and 2013. Standardized mortality rates of leukemia in each province in 2013 and the changes since 1990, were described.
Results: In 2013, the standardized incidence and mortality rates of leukemia in China were 6.70/100 000 and 4.05/100 000, with reduction of 8.84% and 36.22% when compared with those in 1990, respectively. The standardized DALY rate and YLL rate appeared as 174.58/100 000 and 170.42/100 000 in 2013, with 44.68% and 45.32% reduction, respectively, when compared with the figures in 1990. The standardized YLD rate of leukemia in 2013 was 4.16/100 000, with an 6.94% increase, comparing with that in 1990. Age-specific data showed that the proportion of people who died from leukemia among those who died from all the cancers was more than 10% in people under 35 years old. DALY rate of leukemia was highest among children aged 5 years old and under, which appeared as 317.61/100 000. Compared with those in 1990, the standardized mortality of leukemia appeared decreasing in all the provinces in 2013. The top three provinces with the highest standardized mortality of leukemia in 2013 were Xinjiang (4.72/100 000), Ningxia (4.56/100 000) and Fujian (4.50/100 000).
Conclusions: Although the standardized incidence rate, mortality rate, DALY rate and YLL rate due to leukemia decreased, YLD rate due to leukemia increased. Proportions of children and adolescents who died from leukemia remained high. Although the standardized mortalities of leukemia decreased in all the provinces, the differences among them still remained.