Comparative analysis of the trends in thyroid cancer burden in China and worldwide from 1990 to 2021

In recent years, the incidence of thyroid cancer has been increasing, posing a significant public health problem. This study aims to assess the burden of thyroid cancer in China and globally between 1990 and 2021. It seeks to elucidate trends in incidence, prevalence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), while also identifying variations across different age groups and genders. Data were extracted from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) database from 1990 to 2021, focusing on thyroid cancer indicators in China and globally. We calculated age-standardised incidence (ASIR), age-standardised prevalence (ASPR), age-standardised mortality (ASMR), and age-standardised DALY rate (ASDR) for each age group, and analyzed the annual percentage change (APC) in trends over the study period using Joinpoint regression models. In China, the incidence of thyroid cancer increased by 295.70% between 1990 and 2021, with a significant annual increase of 2.242%. The global incidence increased by 177.62% and the APC was 1.139%. While ASMR declined slightly both in China and globally, ASPR showed a substantial increase. It is worth noting that the burden of thyroid cancer is higher in women, and the increased risk of developing the disease has been more pronounced in men in recent years. The findings highlight the need for targeted prevention strategies, improved diagnostics to avoid overdiagnosis, and equitable allocation of public health resources to address the growing thyroid cancer challenge.