Ovarian Cancer Incidence in Uzbekistan (2016–2024): National Trends, Regional Heterogeneity and Age-specific Patterns

Abstract

Background: Age strongly influences ovarian cancer incidence and outcomes; however, contemporary age-specific profiles from Central Asia are rarely documented. Objective: To describe national and regional patterns of ovarian cancer incidence in Uzbekistan (2016–2024), with emphasis on age-specific crude incidence rates and changes over time. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of aggregated, de-identified population-based cancer registry data (ICD-10 C56), organised by year, administrative region, and five-year age groups. Age-specific crude incidence rates (CR per 100,000 women) were calculated using official female population denominators. Temporal trends were summarised as annual percentage change (APC) from log-linear models; differences in broad age-group distributions were assessed using Pearson’s χ² test. Results: A total of 8,150 cases were recorded between 2016 and 2024. The share of cases aged 60–79 increased from 24.0% in 2016 to 43.6% in 2024 (+19.6 percentage points), while ages 40–59 decreased from 57.3% to 42.0% (−15.3 points) (p < 0.001). In 2024, incidence peaked at ages 75–79 (CR 44.71) and 70–74 (CR 40.76). Trend analysis showed the steepest increases in ages 70–74 (APC 9.60%/year, 95% CI 2.71–16.96), 75–79 (12.93%, 0.57–26.80), and 80+ (13.45%, 8.65–18.45), whereas ages 40–44 declined (−2.75%, −4.79 to −0.66). Conclusion: The ovarian cancer burden in Uzbekistan shifted towards older women with marked regional heterogeneity. These findings support strengthening timely diagnostic pathways and referral capacity for postmenopausal women, while interpreting trends in the context of aggregated registry data and potential variation in completeness.