Assessing global kidney cancer incidence and mortality rates according to population category by income levels in 2020: An ecological study

Introduction: Population categories based on income levels are frequently utilized to compare cancer rates across various countries. It is a valuable tool for assessing global health and helps to classify cancers and measure the incidence and mortality of different types of cancer. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate global kidney cancer incidence and mortality rates in 2020 according to population category by income levels, using an ecological study design. Methods and Materials: This ecological study examines the correlation between the incidence and mortality of kidney cancer in 2020, reported by the GLOBOCAN project, since the population category by income levels was reported by the World Bank report. The linear regression method was conducted to assess this correlation. Results: Results demonstrated that the global incidence and mortality rate of kidney cancer in 2020 was estimated at 431288 and 179368 cases, respectively. The incidence and mortality rate of kidney cancer were higher in high-income countries, and both rates tend to be higher in more developed regions. However, there was no statistically significant correlation between the population category by income levels and kidney cancer incidence and mortality based on both crude rate (CR) and age-standardized rate (ASR) indicators (P > 0.05). Conclusion: We conclude that incidence and mortality rates of kidney cancer are not associated with population category by income level.