Trends in the Hidden Burden of Cancer in an Autopsy-Based Study Over 66 Years in Japan

What is the estimated cancer burden in Japan based on nationwide autopsy data over 6 decades?In this cohort study of 1 486 557 autopsies performed between 1958 and 2023, 36 133 latent cancers were found. Detection rates increased, with latent prostate and thyroid cancers 6.9-fold and 60-fold more frequent than clinical cases; metastatic latent cancers made up 7.3% of cases and have been increasing in number.These findings suggest that a small reservoir of undiagnosed, metastasis-competent cancers may increase with increasing longevity and underscore the value of autopsy for cancer epidemiology and early detection.

Corresponding Author: Hiroshi Uozaki, MD, PhD, Department of Pathology, Teikyo University School of Medicine, 2-11-1, Kaga, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-8605, Japan (uozaki@med.teikyo-u.ac.jp).

Link to the article in your story

We encourage you to link out to this article in your story using the link below. It includes an access token that will give free access to the article for your readers up to one year after publication. (The link will be live after the article publishes and embargo is lifted.)

Please see the article for additional information, including full author list, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

Need more information? Contact us.