Mortalidade por câncer na população masculina no estado de Sergipe durante a pandemia da COVID-19

Abstract

Introduction: Cancer is a disease that presents increasing incidence and mortality trends, especially in the male population. With the occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the mortality rate for cancer in this population may be even more impacted. Objectives: to analyze the trends of cancer mortality in men over time in the state of Sergipe (1980-2021) and to evaluate the cancer mortality rates in men in 2020 and 2021 in the state of Sergipe during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the average mortality rate of the last five years (2019-2015); Methods: This study is of the ecological, retrospective, quantitative, and analytical type, extracted from the database of the Mortality Information System of the Information Technology Department of the State Health Secretariat of Sergipe, regarding deaths from cancer in men in the period of 1980-2021. The variables considered for the study were: age, categorized by life stages (0 to 19, 20 to 44, 45 to 64, and > 65 years), tumor topography, and the year of death. All cases of deaths from invasive malignant neoplasms in men were included. Data statistical analysis was performed using crude mortality rates, specific by age, and standardized by age. The population considered for annual mortality rate calculations was the total number of male residents in the state of Sergipe, according to the census and intercensal estimates of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, for each year. The Joinpoint Regression Program, National Cancer Institute, USA, was used to calculate temporal mortality trends for cancer. The analysis allowed for the identification of possible joinpoints that reflect significant changes in the trend studied. To compare the mortality rates of the pandemic years (2020 and 2021) with the mortality rates of the last five years (2019-2015), the average rate of the last five years before 2020 was calculated and compared with the years when the pandemic occurred (2020 and 2021). Results: In the period from 1980 to 2021, 20,143 deaths from cancer in men occurred in the state of Sergipe, and the overall standardized mortality rate was 71.7/100,000 men for the entire period. There was a statistically significant increase trend until 2005 and a subsequent stabilization of the curve (1980-2021). During this period, the main causes of death from cancer were prostate, lung, stomach, liver, and oral cavity. In the pandemic period, there was a 6.2% decrease in 2020 and a 9.1% decrease in 2021 in standardized age-specific cancer mortality rates compared to the average standardized age-specific mortality rate of the last five years (2015-2019). However, the trend of cancer mortality for all ages in the pandemic period remained stable. Conclusion: During the pandemic, there was a reduction in age-standardized cancer mortality rates in men compared to the average mortality rate over the last five years. The trend of cancer mortality in the pandemic period was stable. It is believed that in order to assess the impact of the pandemic on mortality rates, further studies are needed in the coming years.