Cancer incidence and mortality trends among older adults

The number of older adults with cancer in the United States is continuously growing, while disparities in cancer care remain significant. The aim of this current work is to describe epidemiological characteristics and trends in older adults with cancer. We report cancer incidence and mortality trends from 1975 and 1969, respectively, to 2019 in adults aged 65 and older abstracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database in the US. Rates were used to calculate the average annual percent change (AAPC) using joinpoint regression modeling. Cancer incidence in older adults increased by an AAPC of 0.250 (P < 0.001). The greatest increases in cancer incidence were seen in melanoma of the skin (female AAPC 3.397, male AAPC 4.887); the greatest decreases in cancer incidence were in rectal (female AAPC -2.669, male AAPC -2.272) and colon cancer (female AAPC -1.734, male AAPC -1.898). Cancer mortality in older adults decreased with an AAPC of -0.317 (P < 0.001). The greatest decreases in cancer mortality were in stomach (female AAPC -2.930, male AAPC -3.013) and colon cancer (female AAPC -1.857, male AAPC -1.611); the greatest increases in mortality among females was lung cancer (AAPC 2.663), and among males was liver cancer (AAPC 1.129). Epidemiological patterns in older adults have evolved over time that differ by gender and cancer subtype.