TREND OF LUNG CANCER MORTALITY IN BRAZIL, 1980-2011

Introduction: Given the major threat of smoking on public health, due to the large number of smokers and the growth of free marketing of tobacco, Brazil, in 1996 , enacted the Federal Law 9.294/96, which restricts the tobacco using and advertising products in collective, public or private places.

Objectives: This study aimed to describe the pattern of distribution of mortality from lung, bronchial tubes and trachea cancer, and assess the evolution of this trend, stratified by sex , in Brazil, regions and federal states in the period 1980-2011 .

Methods: A descriptive, time series, based on secondary data obtained from the Mortality Information System (SIM) was performed. We calculated the standardized mortality rate for both sexes and to minimize the difficulty in performing the trend analysis caused by the presence of cyclical fluctuations, we used two techniques to reduce variability shown in the series: a polynomial regression and joinpoint .

Results: By analyzing the results, we observed a decreasing trend among males in Brazil (fall 0.6 % a year from 1995, p < 0.001), in most states and regions, a few growth however, most to fluctuations. Among women, an increasing trend in Brazil (2.4% increase per year since 1980), was observed, indicating a homogeneous growth.

Conclusion: It is known that tobacco is the major risk factor for lung cancer and, therefore, the high prevalence of smoking is strongly associated with high mortality rates from cervical cancer. Effective to minimize smoking and to reduce initiation among youth, with emphasis on women, actions should be seen as a priority and are actually necessary to reduce the incidence and mortality of lung cancer.