Global and regional quality of care index for prostate cancer: an analysis from the Global Burden of Disease study 1990–2019

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most prevalent cancers worldwide, with a significant burden on societies and healthcare providers. We aimed to develop a metric for PCa quality of care that could demonstrate the disease’s status in different countries and regions (e.g., socio-demographic index (SDI) quintiles) and assist in improving healthcare policies. METHODS: Basic burden of disease indicators for various regions and age-groups were retrieved from Global Burden of Disease Study 1990–2019, which then were used to calculate four secondary indices: mortality to incidence ratio, DALYs to prevalence ratio, prevalence to incidence ratio, and YLLs to YLDs ratio. These four indices were combined through a principal component analysis (PCA), producing the quality of care index (QCI). RESULTS: PCa’s age-standardized incidence rate increased from 34.1 in 1990 to 38.6 in 2019, while the age-standardized death rate decreased in the same period (18.1 to 15.3). From 1990 to 2019, global QCI increased from 74 to 84. Developed regions (high SDI) had the highest PCa QCIs in 2019 (95.99), while the lowest QCIs belonged to low SDI countries (28.67), mainly from Africa. QCI peaked in age groups 50 to 54, 55 to 59, or 65 to 69, depending on the socio-demographic index. CONCLUSIONS: Global PCa QCI stands at a relatively high value (84 in 2019). Low SDI countries are affected the most by PCa, mainly due to the lack of effective preventive and treatment methods in those regions. In many developed countries, QCI decreased or stopped rising after recommendations against routine PCa screening in the 2010–2012 period, highlighting the role of screening in reducing PCa burden. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13690-023-01087-2.