Socioeconomic Inequality in Mortality Due to Cancer: The Female Cancer Transition in Brazil

Raphael Guimaraes
Camila Muzi , Brazilian National Cancer Institute
Karina Meira, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte
Flavia Andrade, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Background: According to cancer transition, breast cancer, compared with cervical cancer, can be used as a marker of social inequalities in mortality. Objective: To analyze the transition of female cancer in Brazil according to its social indicators between 1980 and 2017. Methods: We performed time series analysis, spatial analysis and cluster analysis, respectively, for regional, state and municipal scales. Results: Time trend is rising for breast cancer in more developed regions. In less developed regions, cervical cancer persists with an increase, sometimes surpassing breast cancer. Spatial analysis detected a dependence relationship between most and least developed regions. High development group has lower cervical cancer mortality rates, higher breast cancer mortality rates, and vice-versa. Conclusion: There is a relationship between mortality from cervical and breast cancer in Brazil and inequalities, regardless of the scale of analysis. Brazil needs to make changes in its strategy for reaching early screening and diagnosis actions.

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 Presented in Session P2. Poster Session Ageing, Health and Mortality