Abstract
The objective of this study was to describe incidence, mortality rates, and trends for multiple myeloma (MM) in Latin America (LA), contributing to better knowledge on the epidemiology of MM in this continent. Incidence data were extracted from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), for the period 1990–2007. Mortality data were obtained for 17 countries from the World Health Organization, for the period 1995–2013. Annual average percentage change (AAPC) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated for incidence and mortality. The average incidence rate of MM was higher in Cali (Colombia). For the age‐group over 60 years old, rates were 14.2 and 12.8 per 100,000 inhabitants for men and women, respectively. Increasing incidence trends were verified for Cali (Colombia). Mortality rates were higher among men; most countries presented increasing trends, and the highest increments were observed in Guatemala (12.5% [95% CI: 10.6; 14.5] in men; 8.8% [95% CI: 7.8; 9.8] in women), Ecuador (5.5% [95% CI: 5.0; 6.0] in men; 3.7 [95% CI: 3.1; 4.3] in women), Paraguay (2.9% [95% CI: 2.3; 3.5] in men; 3.2% [95% CI: 2.1; 4.3] in women), and Brazil (1.4% [95% CI: 1.3; 1.5] in men; 0.9% [95% CI: 0.8; 1.0] in women). Multiple myeloma presented heterogeneous incidence patterns in Cali (Colombia), Quito (Ecuador), and Costa Rica. Increasing mortality trends were verified for most Latin American countries and could be related to limited access to diagnosis and new therapies.
Highlights
Multiple myeloma (MM) represents, approximately, 1% of all cancers in the world; rare, it is the second most frequent hematologic neoplasm [1,2,3]
Incidence rate ratios were higher in Quito (Ecuador), 1.4, and more frequent in men (Table 1, Fig. 1)
Increasing incidence trends were detected in Cali and in Quito for men; decreasing trends were verified in Costa Rica, for both genders, and in Quito, for women
Summary
Multiple myeloma (MM) represents, approximately, 1% of all cancers in the world; rare, it is the second most frequent hematologic neoplasm [1,2,3]. In 2012, 144,251 new MM cases were estimated for both sexes, with standardized incidence rates of 1.5/100,000 and 80,019 deaths, with the global standardized mortality rate being 1.0/100,000 [1]. In South America, the estimated rates are 1.7 for incidence and 1.3/100,000 for mortality [1, 3]. Despite the increasing incidence rates for MM, studies that use population data are more frequent in developed countries [8,9,10,11] than in developing countries [12]. Latin America is a geographic area with scarce studies on multiple myeloma, a rare malignancy. Within Latin America, the life expectancy of the population is increasing, and it is relevant to describe the epidemiological profile of MM in Latin
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