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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Oncol.
Sec. Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention
Volume 14 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1381173

The burden of liver cancer in Mongolia from 1990-2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Provisionally accepted
Oyundari Batsaikhan Oyundari Batsaikhan 1Odgerel Chimed-Ochir Odgerel Chimed-Ochir 1Tatsuhiko Kubo Tatsuhiko Kubo 1Chinburen Jigjidsuren Chinburen Jigjidsuren 2,3Vanya Delgermaa Vanya Delgermaa 4Anuzaya Purevdagva Anuzaya Purevdagva 5Amarzaya Sarankhuu Amarzaya Sarankhuu 6Erdenekhuu Nansalmaa Erdenekhuu Nansalmaa 7Uranchimeg Tsegmid Uranchimeg Tsegmid 7Badral Davgasuren Badral Davgasuren 8Oyuntsetseg Purev Oyuntsetseg Purev 9Ali H. Mokdad Ali H. Mokdad 10,11Nicole Davis Weaver Nicole Davis Weaver 10Ryenchindorj Erkhembayar Ryenchindorj Erkhembayar 12Christopher J. Murray Christopher J. Murray 10,11Mohsen Naghavi Mohsen Naghavi 10,11*
  • 1 Department of Public Health and Health Policy, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
  • 2 Parliament of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
  • 3 State Great Hural, Parliament of Mongolia, Ulaanbattar, Mongolia
  • 4 Independent researcher, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
  • 5 World Health Organization (WHO), Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
  • 6 Mongolian Field Epidemiologists Society, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
  • 7 National Cancer Center of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
  • 8 Infectious Diseases Surveillance and Research Department, National Center for Communicable Diseases, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
  • 9 Department of Policy Planning, Ministry of Health, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
  • 10 Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), Seattle, Washington, United States
  • 11 Department of Health Metrics Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States
  • 12 Department of International Cyber Education, Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences., Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Liver cancer remains the leading cause of death and public health threat among the Mongolian population. Methods: We extracted the primary liver cancer data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to examine the mortality and morbidity of liver cancer by its etiological types, including alcohol, viral hepatitis B and C, and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The data was extracted by sex and 5-year age intervals from 1990 to 2019. Data included mortality, incidence, years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) of liver cancer among the Mongolian population. Results: Mongolia had the world's highest age-standardised DALYs for liver cancer (2558.1) in 2019. Alcohol-attributable DALYs (786.6) were 29 times higher than the global average (26.1), and liver cancer due to hepatitis C (752.6) and B (763.2) were 21.5 (35.0) and 10.9 (69.1) times higher, respectively. There has been a steady increase in the incidence and number of deaths caused by liver cancer in Mongolia. In 2019, liver cancer incidence due to alcohol consumption was 3.1 times higher for males than females, and hepatitis B was 2.7 times higher for males than females. However, the incidence of hepatitis C and NASH was slightly higher for females. Deaths from liver cancer accounted for 9.51% (2365) of total deaths in 2019, with a continuously increasing trend in the fraction of deaths compared to 1990, which was 11 times higher than the global average (0.86%), particularly in females with a 319.6% (95% UI 234.9-435.7) increase observed. Liver cancer due to hepatitis B, C, and alcohol each shared about one-third of liver cancer deaths. Conclusion: A comprehensive analysis of the liver cancer burden in Mongolia reveals alcohol use and viral hepatitis as primary causes of liver cancer mortality, significantly impacting the disease burden. Although significant milestones have progressed, addressing the unique demographic and geographical challenges requires tailored approaches for specific target populations. The evidence generated from this analysis is crucial to support policy guidance, contribute to evidence-based decisions, guide public health prevention measures, and amplify population health promotion and disease prevention throughout Mongolia.

    Keywords: Liver cancer (LC), Viral Hepatitis, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, alcohol, GBD

    Received: 21 Feb 2024; Accepted: 22 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Batsaikhan, Chimed-Ochir, Kubo, Jigjidsuren, Delgermaa, Purevdagva, Sarankhuu, Nansalmaa, Tsegmid, Davgasuren, Purev, Mokdad, Davis Weaver, Erkhembayar, Murray and Naghavi. 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: Mohsen Naghavi, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), Seattle, Washington, United States

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