Global, regional and national burden due to retinoblastoma in children aged younger than 10 years from 1990 to 2021.

Background: Retinoblastoma (RB), an aggressive intraocular malignancy, significantly adds to the global disease burden in early childhood. This study offers insights into the global burden of retinoblastoma (RB) in children aged 0-9 years, examining incidence, mortality, and DALYs from 1990 to 2021, across age, sex, location, and SDI levels. It aims to inform health policy, resource allocation, and RB combat strategies.

Methods: Data were retrieved from newly released Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study. The measures were estimated both as numerical counts and age-standardised rates per 100,000 population. Joinpoint regression analysis was used to rigorously examine temporal trends, estimating the average annual percentage change (AAPC). Spearman's correlation test was used to examine the relationship between SDI and the burden of RB by location and year.

Results: Globally, the age-standardised incidence rate (ASIR), age-standardised mortality rate (ASMR), and age-standardised DALYs rate (ASDR) for RB among young children in 2021 were 0.09 [95% uncertainty interval (UI): 0.05 to 0.13], 0.04 (95%UI: 0.03 to 0.06), and 3.65 (95%UI: 2.21 to 4.96), respectively. Despite an overall increasing trend in incidence [AAPC: 0.62; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.42 to 0.82], the RB incidence rate demonstrated a significant decline from 2019 to 2021, while mortality and DALYs rate for RB showed overall downward trends. Trends in ASIR varied across regions, with the highest increase in East Asia. Among all GBD regions, only Southern Sub-Saharan Africa exhibited rising trends in mortality and DALYs rate. Gender comparisons showed negligible differences in ASIR, ASMR and ASDR in 2021. Moreover, the highest disease burden was noted in early neonatal (0-6 days), and in children aged 2-4 years at both global and regional levels. Analysis by SDI indicated that RB incidence rates increased with higher SDI levels. In addition, a significantly negative correlation was found between SDI level and both ASMR and ASDR of RB among children aged 0-9 years.

Conclusions: From 1990 to 2021, RB-related incidence, mortality, and DALYs varied by age and location. Evaluating spatiotemporal trends underscores the impact of health policies and substantial public health interventions on RB control.