Global burden of lung cancer in women of childbearing age attributable to ambient particulate matter pollution: 1990-2021.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the global burden of lung cancer due to ambient particulate matter (PM) pollution in women of childbearing age from 1990 to 2021.

Methods: This was a secondary analysis utilizing data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021, with a focus on the temporal trends of the lung cancer burden attributable to ambient PM2.5 among women of childbearing age.

Results: In 2021, the global mortality and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) number of lung cancer burden attributable to ambient PM2.5 among women of childbearing age were approximately 5205 and 247,211, respectively. The rate of lung cancer attributable to ambient PM2.5 among women of childbearing age increased between 1990 and 2021, with the age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) increasing from 0.22 (95% uncertainty interval [UI]; 0.13 to 0.33) to 0.25 (95% UI; 0.14 to 0.37; average annual percent change [AAPC] = 0.40) and the age-standardized DALYs rate (ASDR) increasing from 10.39 (95% UI; 5.96 to 15.72) to 12.06 (95% UI; 6.83 to 17.51; AAPC = 0.41). The middle sociodemographic index (SDI) region, East Asia, and China had the heaviest burden, while the high SDI region showed the highest decrease. ASMR and ASDR exhibited an inverted U-shaped relationship with the SDI.

Conclusions: From 1990 to 2021, the lung cancer burden attributable to ambient PM2.5 among women of childbearing age exhibited an increasing trend. Furthermore, increasing attention should be paid to the middle SDI region, East Asia, and China, as ambient PM pollution remains a critical target for intervention.