Relation Between Lung Cancer Incidence and Mortality Rates with Human Development Index and Its Components: A Global Ecological Study

This study aimed to identify the role of HDI in the incidence and mortality rates of lung cancer (LC) worldwide. Data about the incidence and mortality rate of LC for the year 2012 was obtained from the global cancer project for 172 countries. Data about the HDI and other indices were obtained for 169 countries from the United Nations development programme database. In 2012, LC was estimated to have affected a total of 1,824,701 individuals (crude rate: 25.9 per 100,000 individuals), and caused 1,589,925 deaths worldwide (crude rate: 22.5 per 100,000 individuals). LC accounts for 13% of total cancers incidence. There was a positive correlation between the HDI and LC incidence (R = 0.79, P < 0.05), and also with LC mortality rate (R = 0.77, P < 0.05) in the world in 2012. Linear regression model showed that increasing of HDI, mean of life expectancy at birth, mean years of schooling, GNI per capita, percent of urbanization, and age standardized obesity had a positive effect on increase in both incidence and mortality rates of LC. Our study showed that the burden of LC is enormous in high and very high HDI regions. Such actions include primary prevention strategies to effective control of the lifestyle behaviours prevalence including tobacco avoidance and cessation of smoking, a reduction in alcohol consumption and obesity, and the promotion of increased levels of physical activity, as well as the implementation of early detection programs. Moreover, further reductions in mortality could be brought about by increasing access to curative treatment for patients with LC.