Gender Disparities and District-Level Distribution Shifts in Lung Cancer Rates in Beijing, China from 2000-2013

Background – Cancer has become the leading cause of death in China since 2010; with lung cancer, specifically, the most common incident cancer and leading cause of cancer death in the country. While prior research has focused on lung cancer rates and trends for men and women on a national and provincial scale within China, there has been little attention focused at the city- and district-level lung cancer rates, particularly in suburban areas.

Objective – This research examines whether trends in lung cancer incidence rates from 2000-2013 in Beijing indicate gender and district-level disparities.

Methods – Lung cancer incidence rates were determined and analyzed using data from the Beijing Cancer Registry. The data were analyzed for differences in rate changes over time after linear regressions for age-standardized incidence rates were determined.

Results – A total of 86,822 incident cases of lung cancer were identified. Substantial gender differences were observed: men had significantly higher age standardized lung cancer incidence rates than women in all 16 districts at every time point. Age-standardized lung cancer incidence rates increased over time in most districts, with evidence of a widening gender disparity, and the effects were more pronounced in suburban districts compared to urban districts.

Conclusion – The findings replicate a strong gender effect in lung cancer incidence in Chinese adults and reveal a particularly pronounced and growing effect in suburban districts. With attention to the very high smoking prevalence among Chinese men and concerns with air pollution as leading risk factors for lung cancer, these findings can inform preventive guidelines and public health policies for lung cancer prevention and treatment in Beijing to address this growing epidemic.