TUESDAY, Aug. 25, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) poses an increasing global burden for older adults, according to a study published online Aug. 19 in the Journal of Geriatric Oncology.
Zhijuan Xu, from the First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University in China, and colleagues used 2021 Global Burden of Disease data to assess trends in AML burden in adults aged 60 years and older from 1990 through 2021.
The researchers found a consistent upward trajectory over time in the incidence, prevalence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of AML in older adults and found they are projected to further intensify by 2050. The age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) in 2021 was 8.18 per 100,000, age-standardized prevalence rate (ASPR) was 8.31, age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) was 7.73, and age-standardized DALY rate (ASDR) was 140.24. With age, ASIR, ASMR, and ASDR increased, peaking at 90 to 94 years of age, whereas ASPR peaked earlier at 80 to 84 years. Across all metrics, men consistently showed higher values, with the male-to-female gap widening with age. There also was a positive association between ASIR, ASPR, ASMR, and ASDR and sociodemographic index (SDI), with high-SDI countries and regions experiencing a more severe burden across all metrics. Population growth was the principal contributing factor in a decomposition analysis, while risk-factor attribution showed smoking, high body mass index, and occupational contact with benzene/formaldehyde as the leading modifiable contributors.
"These findings carry significant clinical and public health implications, primarily by providing clear entry points for primary prevention, where weight control, smoking cessation, and occupational protection should be incorporated into public health priorities; secondly, as global population aging accelerates, health care systems must be adequately prepared for cancer prevention and treatment in the older population," the authors write.
