Spatiotemporal trends in burden of uterine cancer and its attribution to body mass index in 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019

BACKGROUND: Uterine cancer is one of the most common female cancers worldwide, with huge heterogeneity in morbidity and mortality. Although a high body‐mass index (BMI) has been linked to uterine cancer, systematic reports about the influence of high BMI and its temporal trends are scarce. METHODS: The annual morbidity, mortality, and disability‐adjusted life years (DALYs) of uterine cancer in 204 countries or territories were retrieved from the GBD 2019 study. To reflect trends in disease burden, we also calculated the estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) based on the age‐standardized rates of uterine cancer from 1990 to 2019. RESULTS: The global incident cases of uterine cancer increased 2.3 times from 187,190 in 1990 to 435,040 in 2019. Although the age‐standardized incidence rate (ASIR) of uterine cancer increased worldwide from 8.67/100,000 in 1990 to 9.99/100,000 in 2019, the age‐standardized death rate (ASDR) and DALY rate decreased during the same period. High socio‐demographic index (SDI) countries tended to have a higher ASIR than developing regions, and their increasing trend in ASIR was also more pronounced. The disease was rare before 40 years old, but its risk rose sharply among women aged 50–70. A high BMI was linked to more than one‐third of deaths from uterine cancer in 2019. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence in developed areas was significantly higher than in developing areas and also increased much more rapidly. Elderly females, especially those with a high BMI, have a higher risk of uterine cancer. Therefore, more health resources may be needed to curb the rising burden in specific populations.