Abstract ID: 51
Affiliations:
The Chinese University of Hong Kong; London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; University of Southern California.
Background: Globalization is a complex and multidimensional phenomenon with profound implications for economies, societies, and public health worldwide. Various indices, such as the KOF Globalisation Index (KOF) and the Maastricht Globalization Index (MGI), have been developed to quantify globalization from different perspectives. This study investigates the associations between these indices and global cancer burden to inform targeted public health strategies and policies. Methods: The latest MGI data (2012 version, updated in 2014) were obtained from Maastricht University, while KOF data (2012) were sourced from the KOF Swiss Economic Institute database. Cancer-related metrics including incidence, mortality, and mortality-to-incidence ratio (MIR) were extracted from the WHO Global Cancer Observatory (GLOBOCAN). Linear regression analyses were performed to examine the relationships between globalization indices and cancer metrics using 2012 data. Results: Both the KOF and MGI indices exhibited highly significant associations with global cancer burden. For cancer incidence, positive associations were observed for MGI (β=4.05, 95% CI: 3.40 4.70, p<0.001) and KOF (β=3.73, 95% CI: 3.31 4.16, p<0.001). Similarly, both indices were positively associated with cancer mortality (MGI: β=0.34, 95% CI: 0.06 0.62, p=0.017; KOF: β=0.47, 95% CI: 0.27 0.68, p<0.001). Additionally, a strong negative association was found between globalization and MIR (β=-0.008, 95% CI: -0.009 to -0.007, p<0.001). Conclusion: Higher levels of globalization were associated with increased cancer incidence and mortality, suggesting that economic, social, and political integration may contribute to the global cancer transition. These findings highlight the need for comprehensive, context-sensitive cancer prevention and control strategies that account for local socioeconomic and health system dynamics, particularly in highly globalized regions.
Keywords: Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), Globalization, health, cancer burden