Global prevalence and disability-adjusted life years of hepatoblastoma in children aged 0 to 4 years

BACKGROUND: Hepatoblastoma is the most common primary liver cancer in children. This study aims to estimate the global burden of hepatoblastoma in children from 1990 to 2021. METHODS: Data on the prevalence and DALYs among children with hepatoblastoma aged 0 to 4 years were downloaded from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. The average annual percentage change (AAPC) was calculated to evaluate the temporal trends. RESULTS: In 2021, there were 30,675 (95% UI: 17,025 to 39,606) cases and 179,107 (139,751 to 227,327) DALYs of hepatoblastoma among children aged 0 to 4 years globally. There were 40.3% and 50.8% decreases in hepatoblastoma cases and DALYs, respectively, from 1990 to 2021. Over the past 32 years, the global prevalence and DALY rates of hepatoblastoma have significantly decreased, with AAPCs of -1.83 (95% CI: -2.06 to -1.59) and -2.44 (95% CI: -2.55 to -2.34), respectively. Western Sub-Saharan Africa and high-income North America had the highest prevalence rates in 2021. Countries with high socio-demographic index in 2021 had lower DALY rates of hepatoblastoma. CONCLUSION: The global burden of hepatoblastoma in children has shown a downward trend, with the burden differing across regions. These results provide comparable estimates that can potentially inform efforts toward hepatoblastoma control in children.