Reranking cancer mortality using years of life lost

Abstract

Incidence and mortality are default measures to describe cancer trends. Mortality compounds incidence and survival but not age at death. We calculated years of life lost (YLL) due to 1 of the 10 solid tumors causing most deaths (lung, colorectal, prostate, pancreatic, breast, hepatobiliary, urinary, central nervous system, gastric, melanoma) using Swedish National Cancer and Cause of Death Registers. Comparing YLL with mortality in 2019, lung (43 152 YLL) and colorectal (32 340 YLL) cancer remained at the top, pancreatic cancer was upranked fourth to third (22 592 YLL) and breast cancer fifth to fourth (21 810 YLL), while prostate cancer was downranked third to fifth (17 380 YLL). Assessing YLL over 2010-2019, women lost consistently more life years because of lung and pancreatic cancer. A downward colorectal cancer mortality trend was reflected as a YLL decline only in women. YLL is simple to calculate, is intuitive to interpret, and expands the understanding of the cancer burden on society.

AI-Powered Precision Oncology: Computational Insights Redefining Therapeutic Landscapes

“…Additionally, recent findings highlight a concerning increase in early onset cancer incidence among younger individuals, while overall rates remain stable or decline; unfortunately, younger cancer patients are often diagnosed at more advanced stages, significantly impacting their chances of successful treatment and cure (5). Despite significant advancements in cancer research and treatment, the disease remains challenging to cure completely.…”