Objectives: Leukaemias and lymphomas are among the most prevalent and significant cancers in Australasia and Oceania. This study aims to examine the burden of leukaemias/lymphomas and its temporal trend in Australasia and Oceania from 2010 to 2019.
Design: Epidemiological study METHODS: Data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019 were used to examine the burden of leukaemia/lymphoma key subtypes (acute lymphocytic leukaemia (ALL), acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), Hodgkin-lymphoma (HL) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL)) by sex and 5 year age groups (from <5 years to 85 years+), in terms of incidence, prevalence, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and deaths. Estimated average percentage changes were calculated to assess the temporal trends of leukaemia/lymphoma burden (incidence/prevalence/DALYs/deaths) from 2010 to 2019 in Australasia and Oceania.
Results: AML and NHL were the leading causes of leukaemia/lymphoma burden in both regions. Age-standardised rates (ASRs) for AML versus NHL in Australasia were: incidence 4.72 versus 19.06, DALYs 89.01 versus 161.68 and deaths 4.15 versus 8.02 per 100 000 population. ASRs for AML versus NHL in Oceania were: incidence 1.36 versus 1.08, DALYs 49.16 versus 38.30 and deaths 0.91 versus 0.98 per 100 000 population. From 2010 to 2019, Australasia observed an increasing trend in incidence/prevalence/deaths across most leukaemias/lymphomas and increasing/stable trend in DALYs for AML/CLL/NHL, while Oceania observed increasing trends in incidence/prevalence/DALYs for CLL/NHL and stable trends in all outcomes (except for prevalence (stable)) for AML. Contrasting mortality trends for ALL/CML/HL were observed between the two regions (increasing/stable in Australasia and decreasing in Oceania). Statistically significant differences were observed in disease burden trends between sexes, with males experiencing a greater increase (or smaller decrease) in the burden for AML in both regions.
Conclusions: Different temporal trends in leukaemia/lymphoma burden observed in two closely situated geographic regions with different sociodemographic indices highlight the necessity for region-specific intervention strategies to enhance the access to innovative disease treatments, reducing leukaemia/lymphoma burden.
Keywords: EPIDEMIOLOGIC STUDIES; Leukaemia; Lymphoma.
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