AB015. Associations between globalization index and cancer burden: a global analysis
Abstract

AB015. Associations between globalization index and cancer burden: a global analysis

Junjie Huang1,2, Ruoyi Dong1,2, Claire Chenwen Zhong1,2, Don Eliseo Lucero-Prisno III3, Mellissa Withers4, Martin C. S. Wong1,2

1JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; 2Centre for Health Education and Health Promotion, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; 3Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK; 4Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Background: Globalization is a multifaceted phenomenon with potential implications for global cancer patterns, both by disseminating lifestyle risk factors and by enabling the transfer of medical knowledge and technology. This study aimed to investigate the associations between the KOF Globalisation Index and key national-level cancer metrics.

Methods: We conducted an ecological study using country-level data. Cancer incidence and mortality rates were obtained from the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Cancer Observatory (GLOBOCAN), and the mortality-to-incidence ratio (MIR) was calculated. The KOF Globalisation Index, socioeconomic data [Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Human Development Index (HDI)], and risk factor prevalence (smoking, alcohol, obesity, etc.) were sourced from international databases. Uni- and multi-variable linear regression analyses were performed to examine these relationships.

Results: A higher KOF Globalisation Index was significantly associated with increased cancer incidence (adjusted β=1.529, P<0.001) in models controlling for major risk factors. However, it was also independently associated with a more favorable MIR (adjusted β=−0.002, P<0.001), suggesting better survival outcomes. Behavioral risk factors, smoking and alcohol consumption, demonstrated strong, independent associations with both higher incidence and mortality.

Conclusions: This study reveals a dual role of globalization in the cancer landscape. It is associated with an elevated burden of cancer cases, likely through the diffusion of risk factors, but also with markedly improved cancer survival, likely mediated through advanced healthcare infrastructure and services. Public health strategies must therefore focus on curbing the uptake of risk factors while promoting the transfer of cancer control capacities to mitigate the global cancer burden.

Keywords: Globalization; cancer burden; health

Footnote

Funding: This study was supported by a Direct Grant, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (No. 4054735).

Conflicts of Interest: M.C.S.W. is an honorary medical advisor of GenieBiome Ltd., SunRise, and BGI Health. He is an advisory committee member of Pfizer; an external expert of GlaxoSmithKline Limited; a member of the advisory board of AstraZeneca, and has been paid consultancy fees for providing advice on research. He has received grants from Pfizer, Merck Sharp & Dohme, AstraZeneca, GSK, and Moderna. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

doi: 10.21037/jphe-26-ab015
Cite this abstract as: Huang J, Dong R, Zhong CC, Lucero-Prisno DE 3rd, Withers M, Wong MCS. AB015. Associations between globalization index and cancer burden: a global analysis. J Public Health Emerg 2026;10:AB015.

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