Global, regional, and national burden of ovarian cancer among young women during 1990-2019

Our plain-English summary of Global, regional, and national burden of ovarian cancer among young women during 1990-2019, by Q. Zhuang, G. Gu, J. Chen, et al (European Journal of Cancer Prevention, 2025).

The study

• Authors: Q. Zhuang, G. Gu, J. Chen, Z. Tang, C. Wu, J. Liu, L. Qu
• Journal: European Journal of Cancer Prevention
• Published: 2025;34(1):1-10
• Cited by: 10 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Background: Ovarian cancer, the most devastating tumor in women globally, significantly impacts young women, compromising their daily lives and overall well-being. Ovarian cancer represents a significant public health concern due to its extensive physical and psychological consequences.

Material And Methods: Data from the Global Burden of Disease were used to assess the global, regional, and national burden of ovarian cancer in young women aged 20-39 from 1990 to 2019. This analysis focused on trends measured by the estimated annual percentage change and explored the socioeconomic impacts via the socio-demographic index (SDI).

Results: During 1990-2019, the incidence and prevalence of ovarian cancer among young women increased globally, with annual rates of 0.74% and 0.89%, respectively. The mortality rate and disability-adjusted life years also rose annually by 0.20% and 0.23%, respectively. A significant burden shift was observed toward regions with lower SDI, with high fasting plasma glucose, BMI, and asbestos exposure identified as prominent risk factors, particularly in lower SDI regions.

Conclusion: Our findings underscore ovarian cancer in young women as an escalating global health challenge, with the burden increasingly shifting toward lower socioeconomic areas. This underscores the necessity for targeted prevention and control strategies for ovarian cancer, focusing on reducing the identified risk factors and ensuring equitable health resource distribution.

Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

In plain English

The authors analysed Global Burden of Disease 2019 estimates of ovarian cancer in women aged 20 to 39 worldwide from 1990 to 2019. Age-standardized rates in this age group rose by an estimated 0.74% a year for incidence (95% CI: 0.66 to 0.83%) and 0.20% a year for mortality (95% CI: 0.09 to 0.30%). In 2019 there were an estimated 8350 ovarian cancer deaths among young women (95% uncertainty interval: 6943 to 9646), against 5019 (95% uncertainty interval: 4058 to 6590) in 1990. Incidence fell only in the highest socio-demographic index (SDI) group and rose fastest in the low-middle SDI group. The authors reported high fasting plasma glucose, high BMI, and occupational exposure to asbestos as the three primary risk factors for ovarian cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life years. In high SDI regions, the asbestos-linked burden 'diminished significantly'; the text gives no separate asbestos figures or fiber types. The authors concluded that the burden is shifting toward less developed countries and called for reducing asbestos exposure. They noted that data from less developed countries may underestimate the burden.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Secondary analysis of Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019 estimates; the authors describe it as following reporting guidelines for cross-sectional studies. Trends were measured as estimated annual percentage change (EAPC).
• Who was studied: Women aged 20 to 39 in 204 countries/territories and 21 regions worldwide, 1990 to 2019, grouped into five socio-demographic index (SDI) quintiles
• Exposure: Occupational exposure to asbestos, one of the GBD risk factors examined alongside high fasting plasma glucose and high BMI. No fiber types, jobs or doses are specified.
• Main results:
  • Globally, the age-standardized incidence rate of ovarian cancer in women aged 20 to 39 rose from 2.14 per 100 000 in 1990 to 2.79 per 100 000 in 2019, an annual increase of 0.74% (95% CI: 0.66 to 0.83%)
  • In 2019, ovarian cancer caused an estimated 8350 deaths (95% UI: 6943 to 9646) among young women, 0.6% of all deaths in this group. In 1990 it caused 5019 deaths (95% UI: 4058 to 6590), 0.3% of the total.
  • The global age-standardized mortality rate in young women rose by an average of 0.20% a year (95% CI: 0.09 to 0.30%)
  • Incidence and prevalence rose in all SDI groups except the high SDI group. The fastest rise was in low-middle SDI areas (incidence EAPC 2.71%, 95% CI: 2.66 to 2.76%).
  • Globally, the three primary risk factors for age-standardized mortality and DALY rates of ovarian cancer in young women were high fasting plasma glucose, high BMI, and occupational exposure to asbestos
  • In high SDI regions, the burden attributed to high fasting plasma glucose and high BMI stayed consistent, while the burden attributed to occupational asbestos exposure diminished
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that countries with lower social development are increasingly burdened by ovarian cancer in young women. They said healthy lifestyles and diets should be promoted, occupational disease management enforced, and asbestos exposure reduced.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • Lower healthcare standards in less developed countries may lead to underestimation of the true disease burden
  • GBD data do not allow separate analyses of ovarian cancer subtypes

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Ovarian cancer.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Ovarian Cancer, Asbestos Exposure.

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• The global burden of cancers attributable to occupational factors, 1990-2021 — B. Zou, P. Wu, et al. (2025)
• Global, regional, and national burden of non-communicable diseases attributable to occupational asbestos exposure 1990-2019 and prediction to 2035: worsening or improving? — X. Miao, T. Yao, et al. (2024)
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