Changing patterns of cancer burden among elderly across Indian states: Evidence from the global burden of disease study 1990–2019

Objective

To investigate the trends and patterns of the cancer burden among the elderly in different regions of India at a subnational level.

Methods

Data were extracted from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Studies India Compare 2019. Prevalence rate, disability-adjusted life years (DALY), and annual percentage change techniques were used to analyze data.

Results

The three age groups with the highest prevalence of cancer were those aged 60–64 years, 65–69 years, and 70–74 years. In 2019, The prevalence of cancer among the elderly ranged from 7048.815 in Karnataka to 5743.040 in Jharkhand. Kerala has the most significant annual percentage change in the cancer prevalence rate of 0.291 between 1990 and 2019. The highest DALY rate was observed among individuals aged 80–84 years in 2019. That year, the DALY rate among the elderly was 8112.283 in India. The top five cancers with higher DALY rates among the elderly in India in 2019 were tracheal, bronchus, and lung cancer (908.473), colon and rectum cancer (752.961), stomach cancer (707.464), breast cancer (597.881), and lip and oral cavity cancer (557.637).

Conclusion

Elderly individuals demonstrated a higher vulnerable to cancer compared to other age groups. There is a need for state-specific government intervention to minimize the risk of cancer among the elderly due to the heterogeneity in the burden of cancer across Indian states.