Cancer incidence and mortality for 22 Arab countries in 2020: Profile of total and top major cancers

Abstract Introduction. Cancer is a leading cause of mortality worldwide, with a significant economic, social, and health impact on humanity. The aim of this work was to explore epidemiologic cancer profile in the 22 Arab countries with special emphasis on the most common cancer subtypes. Material and Methods. Data estimates for the year 2020 were generated from the web site of cancer today. Incidence, mortality, and prevalence were gathered, analyzed, and tabulated in total then typed by age group, sex, geographic site, economic level, and specific cancer subtype. The five most common tumors, collectively and for each individual country were also emphasized.Results. Collectively in the 22 Arab countries, about 450 thousand new cases, 280 thousand deaths, and prevalence of over a million cases were estimated. Age standardized incidence rate (ASIR) for both sexes were 135.4 per 100,000 population, being 135.2 among males and 139.4 among females, while mortality rate was 86 per 100,000 population for both sexes, being 96.2 for males and 78 for females. The highest ASIR and ASMR occurred in Egypt (159.4 and 108.6/100,000, respectively) while the lowest ASIR were in Djibouti (91/100,000), and the lowest ASMR were in Saudi Arabia (51.3/100,000). Both ASMR and ASMR were higher for the 10 African (140.5 and 89.9) compared to the 12 Asian countries (120.3 and 74). The highest incidence (148.1) and mortality (93.4) rates occurred in low-middle-income countries compared to lowest incidence (97.6) and mortality (52.7) in the high-income countries. ASIR of cancer increased with age, but it was less than that observed for world and the USA adjusted incidence rate. On the contrary ASMR among Arab countries specially after the age of 59 years was lower than mortality rates of the world and the USA.Conclusion. Available data emphasize the value of developing and improving accurate national population-based cancer registries in the Arab world being the most important needed step for better cancer control.