Average Years of Potential Life Lost in Those Who Have Died from Brain and CNS Tumors in the USA

Abstract

The aim of this study was to quantify the impact of all primary malignant and nonmalignant brain and central nervous system (CNS) tumors on mortality in the USA in terms of years of life lost, an indicator of premature mortality in the population. In this study, US mortality data for the year 2001 from the National Center for Health Statistics and life tables from the US Census Bureau were used. Person-years of potential life lost (PYPLL) and average years of potential life lost (AYPLL) were calculated for all deaths due to brain and CNS tumors as an underlying cause. 16,819 deaths due to brain and CNS tumors occurred in 2001, leading to a total loss of 357,483 person-years of life and an average loss of 21.3 years (AYPLL). Hispanic men and women had an AYPLL of 31.7 and 33.9 years, respectively, a figure substantially higher than other race and ethnicity categories. Malignant tumors led to an AYPLL of 25 years, which was significantly higher than the AYPLL of 19 years due to nonmalignant tumors. The relative impact of tumors arising in the various anatomical sites in the brain and CNS among adults and among children was not similar. The use of population survival indicators, such as PYPLL and AYPLL, will help better understanding of the effect of racial, ethnic, gender and age differences on the mortality due to malignant and nonmalignant brain and CNS tumors. Information on years of life lost, as well as mortality data, will be useful in focusing research priorities and resources in this field.

Premature Mortality Due to Malignancies of the Central Nervous System in Canada, 1980–2010

“…Consistent with those in previous publications [8, 9, 17, 18], the findings of the current analysis show that, on average, people with CNS cancer lost as many as 23 years of life among men and 27 years among women in 1980. Although their lifespan was prolonged in recent years, patients with CNS cancers still lost 21 years of life among men and 23 years among women in 2010.…”

“…Although their lifespan was prolonged in recent years, patients with CNS cancers still lost 21 years of life among men and 23 years among women in 2010. Burnet et al [17] reported in their study of United Kingdom data [9] from 1990 to 1994 that patients with CNS cancers lost an average of 20 years of life, which was the largest loss among any types of cancers. Thuppal et al [9] used US 2001 data and reported an average loss of 21.3 years for CNS cancers.…”

“…Burnet et al [17] reported in their study of United Kingdom data [9] from 1990 to 1994 that patients with CNS cancers lost an average of 20 years of life, which was the largest loss among any types of cancers. Thuppal et al [9] used US 2001 data and reported an average loss of 21.3 years for CNS cancers. Similarly, CNS cancers resulted in the highest average loss in Japan when compared with other cancer sites [8] where results in 2005 show that there was an average loss of 22.8 years of life in Japanese men and 27.8 years in women [8].…”

“…We observed that Japanese patients with CNS cancers lost the largest proportion of their lifespan relative to other cancer patients [8]. Recent studies [9, 10] conducted in the US also described the large impact that brain cancer deaths has on the ­American population; however, these studies assessed only a few years of data and to date there are no long-term analyses on the secular trend of premature mortality for this condition. Time trend analyses are important, especially considering the diagnostic and therapeutic advances that have occurred in CNS cancers over the past decades.…”

Descriptive epidemiology of ependymal tumours in the United States

“…Ependymal tumours are neuroectodermal tumours that although rare have a significant impact on the quality of life and mortality (Thuppal et al , 2006). These tumours are derived from ependymal cells that line cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-filled ventricles, spinal canal and filum terminale (Del Bigio, 1995).…”