Prevalence of cancer survivors diagnosed within the past 20 years accounts for 6%: a population-based study in Hiroshima, Japan.

Abstract

For cancer survivorship care planning, we measured population-based 20-year prevalence in Hiroshima, Japan. Twenty-year limited-duration prevalence was calculated as the number of individuals aged 0-99 years alive on 31 December 2021 who had been diagnosed with cancer during 2002-2021. A total of 166 854 survivors of invasive cancer (6.0%) and 197 330 survivors including carcinoma in situ (7.1%) were identified. Prevalence was higher in males than females (6.3% vs. 5.7%) and increased with age. Prostate and breast cancers were most prevalent among males and females, respectively. More than half of survivors of stomach, colorectal, liver, breast, uterus, and prostate cancers had lived >5 years after diagnosis, whereas survivors of pancreatic cancer were concentrated within 3 years of diagnosis. Approximately 1 in 17 individuals had a history of cancer within the past 20 years. These findings highlight the value of prevalence for understanding population-level survivorship care needs.