Lung cancer is the first most frequent cause of cancer mortality among males and the second among females in Brazil. In developed countries the mortality due to this type of cancer is decreasing in men, but not in women. This study analyses mortality trends for lung cancer in Brazil in the 1979-2003 period, according to gender in the whole country as well as in the five geographic macro regions. Age-standardized mortality rates and mortality specific rates (40-59 and ³ 60 years old) were calculated. Estimated Annual Percentage Changes (EAPC) were assessed for the whole country and for each geographic macro region in three time periods: 1979-1987, 1988-1995, and 1996-2003. Lung cancer mortality showed an upward trend of 29% in men and 86% in women, during the entire period (1979-2003). When data were segregated, an evident inverse trend was observed in the Southeast region between 1996 and 2003 in the youngest age group, with a negative variation for men (EAPC = - 2.1) and a positive one for women (EAPC = 3.2). The highly positive variation in cancer mortality trends in women from the North and Northeast regions in both age groups as of 1988 is noteworthy. The results point toward the need to continue tobacco control measures among males and to improve strategies aimed at women.
Lung cancer mortality; Time trends; Gender differences; Regional differences
