Ovarian cancer disease burden decreased in the United States from 1975 to 2018: A joinpoint and age-period-cohort analysis

Ovarian cancer (OC) is the leading cause of gynecological cancer-related deaths in the United States. The purpose of this study was to evaluate long-term trends in OC incidence and incidence-based mortality rates (IBM) in the U.S. from 1975 to 2018 and to assess the effects of age, period, and cohort factors on OC incidence and mortality using an age-period-cohort model. We obtained data from the U.S. OC incidence/mortality data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database from 1975 to 2018. Joinpoint regression analysis was used to determine long-term trends and transitions, and an age-period-cohort model was used to quantify the effects of age, period, and cohort parameters on incidence and mortality. In addition, 1990 to 2019 U.S. OC data obtained from the Global Burden of Disease study served as a potential validation set. Between 1975 and 2018, 80,622 new cases of OC and 60,218 deaths from OC were reported in the U.S. The average annual percent change for OC incidence was −1.33 (95% CI: −1.64 to −1.02, P < .001), with a significant decrease in incidence at a rate of 7.80% (95% CI: −11.52 to −3.92) per year from to 2015–2018. IBM reached its peak for the U.S. population in 1994, with an age-standardized mortality rate of 6.38 (per 100,000 people). IBM rose first, peaked in 1986, and then declined at a rate of 0.39% (95% CI: −0.66 to −0.12) and 2.48% (95% CI: −3.09 to −1.85) per year from to 1986–2007 and 2007–2018, respectively. In addition, age-period-cohort model analysis showed the highest risk of OC incidence in 1980 to 1984 and the highest risk of OC death in 1985–1989. This study reported a significant decline in OC morbidity and mortality in the U.S. since 1986. In addition, this study analyzed the changes in trends in OC incidence and mortality by race/ethnicity in the U.S. Monitoring trends in OC incidence and mortality by race/ethnicity can help in the development of targeted prevention and treatment measures.