Years of Potential Life Lost Due to Breast and Cervical Cancer: a Challenge for Brazilian Public Policy

Abstract

<b>Background:</b> The purpose of the article was to analyze the years of potential life lost (YPLL) of womenwho died from breast and cervical cancer in the State of Paraná, Southern Brazil. This was a temporal trendstudy (2000 to 2010) about the coefficients of mortality and the years of potential life lost in women aged 20 to70 years. Materials and <br/><b>Methods</b>: Data were obtained through the database of the Department of the UnifiedHealth System (DATASUS) and the National Mortality Information System. <br/><b>Results</b>: There was a loss of 125.075YPLL due to breast cancer, with an average of 11.370 YPLL. Regarding cervical cancer, the figure obtained was91.625 YPLL from 2000 to 2010, with an average of 8.329 YPLL. Increased risk of death from breast cancer wasobserved for women aged 50 to 59 years, with a significant increase among those in the age group from 40 to49 years. There was an increased rate of cervical cancer among women 40 to 69 years. <br/><b>Conclusions</b>: The risk ofdeath grows with increasing age, being higher from 40 years. Prevention is paramount for both cancers. Thus,preventive measures are required and a reassessment of political strategies should be adopted.