Mortalidad por neoplasias malignas en la población adulta de la provincia de Cienfuegos durante el decenio 1988-1997

a chronological series was made to study 5 096 patients that died from cancer in order to characterize mortality due to malignant neoplasias in the adult population of the province of cienfuegos during 1988-1997. variables such as age, sex, place of death and type of tumor were analyzed. the potential years of life lost and the lineal trend of the mortality rate (standardized) were calculated by the semiaverage method. it was observed that the ratio of proportional mortality from cancer was of at about 20 % annually, whereas the number of deaths and the general mortality rate due to that cause showed trends towards the increase. in that period, 1 166 patients died from lung, trachea and bronchus cancer (22.8 % of the total). a clear trend to extrahospital death and a discrete trend to the increase of the potential years of life lost because of cancer were observed.