ESTUDOS SÔBRE A MORTALIDADE POR VÁRIAS CAUSAS NO MUNICÍPIO DE SÃO PAULO. V. NEOPLASMAS MALIGNOS

Abstract

Diseases of long duration, including cancer, are showing a great increase in their mortality all o ver the world (the contrary is observed in the communicable diseases) which is caused by an apparent and a real increase. In the Municipality of São Paulo there has been a great increase in the proportional mortality of the malignant neoplasms which at present occupies the second place as a cause of death, surpassed only by heart disease. The same condition is noted in many other countries, including some American countries. The Mortality rates, in the same way, are increasing progressively and notably in this Municipality, which may be explained only in part by the increase of the life span. From 1953 on cancer alone has caused more deaths than all the diseases classified as infectious and parasitic. These facts indicate that cancer is at present an important Public Health problem and that we must employ all our efforts to control it. The age distribution of the mortality rates indicates a considerable increase with the age, which is typical in the case of malignant neoplasms. In the age groups of 70-79 and 80 years and over they surpassed the level of 1,000 per 100,000 inhabitants. These rates were larger in males at ages of 0-29 and 50 years and over, while in females they predominated at ages 30-49 years. In both sexes the localization that caused more deaths was in the digestive organs, followed closely by the respiratory organs in males and genital organs in females. The group constituted by mulattoes and negroes showed the lowest rate, followed by the white race; the yellow race had the highest rate. Among the mulattoes and negroes the mortality has been higher in females, and among the last two races in males, owing probably to earlier diagnosis and treatment of the breast and cervix uteri cancer in these two races, thus decreasing the mortality in females.