TOPLINE:

Overall incidence of central nervous system (CNS) cancers in the US did not change significantly from 1990 to 2021, but mortality dipped by over 8%, and incidence trends varied by age group.

METHODOLOGY:

• Primary CNS cancers account for about 2% of cancers and are biologically heterogeneous, with variable outcomes and high morbidity. Although previous analyses have reported increased incidence and rising costs in the US, an up-to-date comprehensive study of the CNS cancer burden is needed.
• Researchers analyzed data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 to estimate the incidence, prevalence, deaths, years lived with disability, years of life lost, and disability-adjusted life years for CNS cancer in the US from 1990 to 2021.
• Disability-adjusted life years represented the sum of years of life lost and years lived with disability, stratified by age, sex, location, and year.

TAKEAWAY:

• In 2021, the US recorded 31,780 incident cases of CNS cancer, with an age-standardized incidence of 6.91 per 100,000 people. The age-standardized mortality rate was 4.10 per 100,000. While incidence did not change significantly from 1990 to 2012, mortality dipped by 8.4%.
• Over the study period, disability-adjusted life years decreased by 15.8%, a change primarily driven by a decline in years of life lost.
• Incidence trends varied by age. While CNS tumors constitute the most common cancer among US children, incidence declined by 23.8% among children younger than 5 years — possibly related to improvements in prenatal care and maternal health, the researchers noted. Incidence rose among people older than 70 years, possibly due to the aging population and growing use of neuroimaging, which may boost incidental detection of CNS tumors.
• Men consistently had a greater disease burden than women, and certain US states maintained high disease burdens over time (including Alabama, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, and West Virginia). In contrast, coastal states generally had lower CNS cancer incidence rates.

IN PRACTICE:

The study offers “valuable insight” into CNS cancer trends and risk factors, the study authors wrote. “These findings may help assess the public health landscape and inform health policy and resources reallocation for CNS cancer in the US,” they concluded.

SOURCE:

This study, led by Hyun Jin Han, MD, of Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, was published online in JAMA Neurology.

LIMITATIONS:

Global Burden of Disease data quality varied across states, potentially introducing measurement errors. The radiologic diagnostic challenges in CNS cancer and the study’s classification by anatomic site prevented histology-specific disaggregation by tumor subtype, grade, or stage. Additionally, the data lacked detailed information on race and ethnicity.

DISCLOSURES:

This study was funded by the Gates Foundation, the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, and the Queensland Department of Health, Australia, among others. Some authors reported receiving grants or having other ties with various sources. Full disclosures are noted in the original article.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.