Trends in the Incidence of Brain Cancer: An Observational Study

Introduction: Brain cancer is a serious global health problem, leading to increasing mortality and morbidity. Understanding the risk factors is crucial in early diagnosis and treatment. This retrospective cohort study thus aimed at assessing the temporal trends in the incidence of brain cancer based on age, gender, and race from 1999-2020.

Methods: The brain cancer incidence based on age, gender, and race were retrieved from the CDC WONDER database on May 18, 2024. Data were collected individually for each year (from 1999 to 2020), as well as for age (from <15 years to ≥ 75 years with a 10-year range in each group), gender, race, and all states, covering the overall incidence from 1999 to 2020. Additionally, data was aggregated for combined years and age, combined years and sex, and combined years and race. Statistical analysis was done via Rv4.3.2 and included the calculation of crude rates and representation of data via bar graphs and line diagrams.

Results: Our study revealed that out of a total population of 6,722,531,044 analyzed, the crude rate per 100,000 was 6.6 over 20 years. The incidence was highest in the 65-74 year age range (19.76%), among males (55.85%), and the white race (88.96%). The temporal trends overall show a rising trend in the crude rate of brain cancer, with the highest incidence in 2019, followed by a steep decline thereafter.

Conclusions: Our study found that the crude rate of brain cancer from 1999-2020 was 6.6 per 100,000, with the highest incidence in the 65-74 age group, among males, and within the white population. The overall trend showed an increase in brain cancer incidence, peaking in 2019, particularly among younger age groups, with stable or declining rates in older adults and non-white races.