Adult brain cancer incidence patterns: A comparative study between Japan and Japanese Americans

Abstract

Adult primary brain and central nervous system (CNS) cancers, though comprising only about 4% of new cancer diagnoses, significantly impact morbidity and mortality due to their low survival rates. Globally, brain and CNS tumor incidence varies considerably, with the United States exhibiting one of the highest rates and Japan among the lowest worldwide. In the United States, incidence rates differ by race, with higher rates in non-Hispanic whites (NHW) and lower rates in Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). This study examines the incidence of malignant CNS tumors in Japan and Japanese Americans, comparing these groups to NHW and AAPI populations in the United States. We estimated age-standardized incidence rates (ASR) of brain and CNS tumors among adults using data from the Monitoring of Cancer Incidence in Japan (MCIJ) and the U.S. Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-9 registries from 2007 to 2014. Incidence rates were stratified by age, sex, and specific CNS tumor subtypes. Incidence rates of CNS tumors among Japanese (ASR: 3.66, 95% CI: 3.56–3.76) and Japanese Americans (ASR: 2.5, 95% CI: 2.13–3.05) were lower than among NHW (9.43, 95% CI, 9.31–9.56) and AAPI populations (ASR: 4.13, 95% CI: 3.94–4.33) in the United States. The same pattern was observed for CNS tumor subtypes and across age groups and sex. This study supports a genetic component in the risk of brain and CNS tumors, a cancer type with largely unknown etiology. By comparing incidence rates across populations, it contributes to understanding the balance of genetic and environmental risk factors in the development of these cancers.