Analysis of trends in race and gender disparities in the incidence of pheochromocytoma from 2000 to 2020.

e22545Background: Pheochromocytoma is a rare tumor of the adrenal gland with an estimated incidence of 2-8/million. The trends of incidence of pheochromocytoma amongst various races and gender has not been adequately reported in the literature. This study analyzes trends from the years 2000 to 2020 in groups divided by gender and race. Methods: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Database was queried to conduct a nation-wide analysis for the years 2000 to 2020. Incidence-based rates for all stages of pheochromocytoma were queried and the results were grouped by race (Caucasian/White vs. African American/Black vs. Asian/Pacific islander) and gender. Annual percent change (APC) was calculated using the least squares method with the Joinpoint Regression Program. A continuity correction of 0.01 per million was added to address zero counts, and the parametric method was used to calculate APC confidence intervals. Results: Overall incidence trended towards a decline with an APC of -1.26 (p = 0.051). Incidence in African American men declined with an APC of -3.55 (p = 0.011) and showed a non-significant rise in African American women with an APC of 0.31. There was a non-significant trend toward increasing incidence in Asian men and women. No divergence was noted between genders in Caucasians and Asians. The difference noted between African American men and women was statistically significant (p < 0.05). APC trends are shown in the table below. Conclusions: This study highlights a significant decline in the incidence of pheochromocytoma in African American men. In contrast, there was a non-significant increase in Asian men and women. The etiology of this disparity in genders and races is unclear. This may warrant further investigation of changes in underlying risk factors or in clinical practice patterns. Possible etiologies may include shifts in access to care.