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Anales de la Facultad de Medicina
On-line version ISSN 2301-1254
Abstract
BARRIOS, Enrique and GARAU, Mariela. Cancer burden around the world and in Uruguay, epidemiological aspects. Anfamed [online]. 2017, vol.4, n.1, pp.7-161. ISSN 2301-1254. https://doi.org/10.25184/anfamed2017.4.1.2.
The burden of cancer is one of the most relevant challenges of our time. As a consequence of the demographic-epidemiologic transition, cancer is currently one of the leading causes of death, globally and in Uruguay. This transition is still in progress but with different dynamics around the world; therefore, the burden of cancer is changing its scale and profile. The projections indicate that the number of new cases will grow from 14 million in 2012 to more than 20 million in 2030, and that almost two thirds of them will take place in developing countries. Since less developed countries don`t have similar resources as those of developed countries to face the problem, this situation poses a dramatic challenge to governments and health authorities.
In Uruguay, a Around 13000 new cancer cases (any sites, except for non-melanoma skin cancer) are diagnosed and more than 8000 patients die due to this cause annually. The epidemiological situation of the four most frequent cancers is analysed in this article as they account for almost half of the total (female breast, prostate, lung and colo-rectum). Cervical and oesophageal cancers are also analysed. Uruguay shows a sustained decline in age- standardized mortality rates for all sites combined during the last two decades. In general, Uruguay exhibits comparable values of incidence rates to more developed countries, but higher values of mortality rates.
Keywords : Cancer; incidence; mortality; epidemiology; Uruguay.