Premature Mortality Due to Malignancies of the Kidney and Bladder in Japan, 1980–2010

BACKGROUND: In the present study, we examined the trends of premature mortality due to kidney and bladder cancers among the Japanese population from 1980 through 2010. METHODS: Mortality data were obtained from the World Health Organization mortality database. Years of life lost (YLL) was estimated using Japanese life tables. Average lifespan shortened (ALSS) was calculated and defined as the ratio of years of life lost relative to the expected lifespan. RESULTS: Over the study period, the age-standardized rates to the World Standard Population for deaths from kidney and bladder cancers were stable. The average years of life lost (AYLL) measure shows decreases of about 4 and 6 years of life for kidney cancer in men and women, respectively, and decreases of about 2 years of life for bladder cancer in both sexes. The ALSS shows that patients with kidney cancer lost 21.0% and 24.7% of their lifespan among men and women in 1980, whereas respective losses were 15.3% and 15.8% in 2010. Also, patients with bladder cancer on average lost 13.5% in men and 14.2% in women in 1980 and 10.8% in men and 11.1% in women in 2010. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows favorable trends in premature mortality for kidney and bladder cancers in Japan over a 30-year period; however, patients with bladder cancer on average lost a smaller proportion of their lifespan compared to those with kidney cancer. The development of a novel ALSS measure is convenient in examination of the burden of premature mortality over time.