ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Oncol.
Sec. Head and Neck Cancer
Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1665019
This article is part of the Research TopicReviews in Head and Neck CancersView all articles
Global Burden of Head and Neck Cancer: Epidemiological Transitions, Inequities, and Projections to 2050
Provisionally accepted
- Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
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Abstract Background Head and neck cancer (HNC) is the seventh most frequently occurring cancer worldwide. The incidence and mortality of HNC have been demonstrated to significantly impact human health and increase the global health burden. We assessed temporal trends via Estimated Annual Percentage Change (EAPC) across 36 countries (2008–2017). No study has yet focused on the latest epidemiological changes of GLOBOCAN 2022 in HNC and made predictions about the trends to 2050. Objectives Integrate historical HNC records and project global incidence and mortality trends to 2050 to support region-specific prevention strategies. Methods Data on HNC cases and deaths including rates for subtypes were gathered from GLOBOCAN 2022 (https://gco.iarc.fr). The age-standardized incidence and mortality rates per 100,000 person-years were calculated by the direct age standardization method based on the Segi-Doll World standard population. We counted EAPC in 36 countries over the last decade (2008-2017). Eight of these countries with different levels of development were also selected to observe in detail their annual trends from 1980 to 2017. Relationship between the Human Development Index (HDI) and the HNC subtypes was examined using linear regression. Conclusion From 2008 to 2017, both the number of male HNC deaths and cases decreased. 3 However, in 2022, the men's and older people's HNC burden is still heavier. According to the projection, future reductions in overall HNC incidence and mortality are expected to materialise only in the event of a decline in cases and deaths by 2 or 3 percent or more.
Keywords: head and neck cancer, Global burden, disparities, Epidemiology, GLOBOCAN database
Received: 13 Jul 2025; Accepted: 08 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yu, An, Liang, Sun, Liu, Zhang and Sun. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Hao Sun, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
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