The national and subnational burden of Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) in Italy from 1990 to 2023: results from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023

Background Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) is a relatively rare oncohematological neoplasm. This study investigates the burden of HL and its temporal trends from 1990 to 2023, at the Italian national and subnational level (21 regions). Methods We used the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023 estimates to describe the HL age-standardized incidence (ASIR), mortality (ASMR), years lived with disability (ASYLD), years of life lost (ASYLL), disability-adjusted life years (ASDR) rates, the related 1990–2023 crude all-ages and age-standardized annual rate of changes (ARC), as well as the age-standardized mortality-to-incidence ratio (MIR). Finally, the national estimates for HL were compared to those for the GBD Global and High-middle Socio-Demographic Index (SDI) countries. Findings In 2023 at the Italian national level, there were 1750 HL new cases, 430 deaths and 10,850 Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), the majority of which came from YLLs (91.0%). The 1990–2023 ARC for ASIR had a notable decline for both sexes (−0.26; 95% Uncertainty Interval [UI] −0.43 to −0.03). The ARC for ASMR (−0.59; −0.66 to −0.51) and ASDR (−0.64; −0.70 to −0.57) remarkably declined for both sexes; the MIR almost halved over time, from 25.9 to 14.3. At the subnational level, the ASIR significantly decreased in eleven regions, being stable in the other ten. The ASMR and ASDR showed a marked decline in all 21 regions. Interpretation The HL age-standardized deaths and DALYs rates significantly improved over time in Italy, while ASIR was twofold and threefold than that measured for GBD High-middle SDI countries and globally, respectively. Comparing the national estimates to those for the High-middle SDI region, the ARC for YLDs, YLLs and DALYs showed a comparable, favorable trend. Some geographical differences emerged among the Italian subnational estimates, even in the absence of serious local anomalies. Funding No funding was received for this study. This work was supported by the Italian Ministry of Health, through a contribution given to the Institute for Maternal and Child Health – IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, Trieste - Italy.