Burden of Gastrointestinal Tumors in Asian Countries, 1990–2021: An Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Donglin Jiang,1 Yangxue Wu,1 Ling Liu,1 Yajing Shen,1 Tiandong Li,1 Yin Lu,1 Peng Wang,2 Changqing Sun,2 Kaijuan Wang,2 Keyan Wang,3 Hua Ye1 1College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Gaoxin District, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450001, People’s Republic of China; 2Henan Key Laboratory of Tumor Epidemiology and State Key Laboratory of Esophageal Cancer Prevention and Treatment, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, People’s Republic of China; 3Henan Institute of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Hua Ye, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Gaoxin District, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450001, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 186-3853-6001, Fax +86 371-67781018, Email [email protected]: Gastrointestinal tumors represent a significant component of the cancer burden in Asia. This study aims to evaluate the burden of gastrointestinal tumors in Asia from 1990 to 2021 using data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 (GBD 2021).Methods: The absolute incidence, mortality, and disability adjusted life years (DALYs) number and rate of six gastrointestinal tumors(colon and rectum cancer (CRC), stomach cancer (SC), pancreatic cancer (PC), esophageal cancer (EC), liver cancer (LC) and gallbladder and biliary tract cancer (GBTC)) in 48 Asian countries were extracted from GBD 2021. Differences were analyzed based on gender, age, year, location and socio-demographic index (SDI).Results: In 2021, SC accounted for the highest disease burden in Asia (DALYs=16.41million [95% UI: 13.70, 19.62]). From 1990 to 2021, the age-standardized incidence rates of EC, LC, and SC in Asia declined, while the incidence rates of CRC and PC increased significantly, with CRC showing the largest rise (AAPC=1.08 [95% CI: 1.02 to 1.12]). Gastrointestinal tumors DALY rates peaked at age 70 and above, with males generally exhibiting higher rates than females. Furthermore, East Asia bears a higher burden compared to other Asian subregions. A higher SDI correlates with increased DALY rates for PC, but no linear relationship was observed for other gastrointestinal tumors.Conclusion: The burden of gastrointestinal tumors in Asia remains high and may continue to increase. Therefore, effective prevention and treatment measures are essential to address the challenge posed by gastrointestinal tumors.Keywords: Asia, gastrointestinal tumors, burden, trends