Panorama da mortalidade oncológica em Alagoas (2001 - 2022)

Abstract

An analysis of cancer mortality in the state of Alagoas was conducted for the period from 2001 to 2022, aiming to identify patterns associated with this phenomenon. This is an epidemiological, quantitative, and descriptive study based on secondary data from the Mortality Information System (SIM). The analyses were carried out in the Google Colab environment using the Python programming language and statistical libraries such as Pandas, NumPy, Matplotlib, and Seaborn. The results indicate a significant increase in cancer mortality rates, from 0.32 deaths per 1,000 inhabitants in 2001 to 0.77 in 2022, with a higher prevalence of deaths among individuals over 60 years of age. Digestive organ cancers were the leading causes of death for both men and women. There was also a concentration of deaths in specific regions, notably in the 1st Health Region, and a marked migration of patients to municipalities with better healthcare infrastructure, such as Maceió. Noteworthy are the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, which led to a reduction in recorded cancer mortality, possibly due to underreporting or the interruption of care. The findings highlight the need for decentralized and effective public policies focused on early screening, equitable access to diagnosis and treatment, and the expansion of oncology services in the interior regions of the state.