To understand the incidence trend and temporal distribution of breast cancer and reproductive system cancers in women in different age groups and areas in China from 2006 to 2017.

Based on the incidences of breast cancer, vulvar cancer, vaginal cancer, cervical cancer, uterine corpus cancer, and ovarian cancer in women, average age at diagnosis and cases in different age groups and areas in China were calculated, standardized through world population. Software Joinpoint 4.5.0.1 was used to calculate average annual percent of change (AAPC).

Between 2006 and 2017, the overall age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) of the six cancers showed an increasing trend from 39.48/100 000 to 51.11/100 000 (AAPC=2.24%, 95%CI: 1.59%-2.89%). The increasing trend was more obvious in rural area (AAPC=4.65%,95%CI:3.67%-5.64%), whereas no significant increase was observed in urban area (AAPC=0.15%,95%CI:-0.26%-0.56%). Except uterine corpus cancer, the incidences of 5 cancers showed increasing trends. The incidences of cervical cancer showed similar upward trends in urban and rural areas. In urban area, the ASIRs of breast cancer, vaginal cancer and vulvar cancer showed no significant increase, while in rural area it showed significant increase. The ASIR of ovarian cancer showed a decreasing trend in urban area and an increasing trend in rural area. The average age at diagnosis increased for all the cancers, except uterine corpus cancer. However, after standardizing through world population, the increases in the standardized average age at diagnosis were observed only in cervical cancer and vaginal cancer from 49.11 and 55.15 years to 52.13 and 58.81 years, respectively.

The overall ASIR of breast cancer and reproductive system cancers in women showed increase trend in China in 2006-2017, and the increase trend was more obvious in rural area than in urban area. Meanwhile, the accessibility to medical facilities in rural area needs to be improved to ensure medical care, early diagnosis and early treatment for the purpose of bridging the gap in female cancer incidence between rural area and urban area.

Neoplasm, breast; Neoplasm, reproductive system; Incidence; Trend analysis