Variability and social patterning of cancer mortality in 343 Latin American cities: an ecological study.

Journal: The Lancet. Global health

Volume: 13

Issue: 2

Year of Publication: 2025

Affiliated Institutions:  Programa de Doctorado en Salud Pública, Escuela de Salud Pública, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile. Electronic address: taniaalfaro@uchile.cl. Center for Global Health Equity, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Centro de Investigación del INCAP para la Prevención de Enfermedades Crónicas (CIIPEC), Instituto de Nutrición de Centro América y Panamá, Guatemala City, Guatemala. CONAHCyT-Centro de Investigación en Salud Poblacional, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública (INSP), Cuernavaca, Mexico. School of Medicine, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia. Escuela de Salud Pública, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile. Urban Health Collaborative, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA. Instituto de Salud Colectiva - Universidad Nacional de Lanús, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Centro de Investigación del INCAP para la Prevención de Enfermedades Crónicas (CIIPEC), Instituto de Nutrición de Centro América y Panamá, Guatemala City, Guatemala. CRONICAS Centre of Excellence in Chronic Diseases, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru; School of Medicine, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru. Urban Health Collaborative, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Department of Community Health and Prevention, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA. Observatory for Urban Health in Belo Horizonte, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

Abstract summary 

Understanding between-city variations in cancer mortality is crucial to inform national and subnational cancer prevention strategies. However, studies at the city level in Latin America are scarce. As part of the Salud Urbana en América Latina (SALURBAL) project, we aimed to describe the variability in cancer mortality rates across 343 cities in nine Latin American countries and the associations of these rates with city-level socioeconomic development.This ecological study used data from cities in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, and Panama. Vital registration and population data from Jan 1, 2015 to Dec 31, 2019 were used to estimate sex-specific and age-standardised cancer mortality rates for each city, overall and for seven cancer sites (breast, lung, colorectal, stomach, liver, prostate, and cervical), and the associations of these rates with city-level socioeconomic development.We found wide variability in cancer mortality by city (overall age-adjusted cancer mortality rates varied by almost three times), sex, and cancer site. Variability between cities within the same country was highest for cervical and prostate cancer. The most common causes of cancer deaths were breast cancer (305 cities) for females and prostate cancer (167 cities) and lung cancer (132 cities) for males. Liver and cervical cancer were the primary cause of cancer mortality in fewer than ten cities each, most of which were in Guatemala and Mexico. Lower city-level socioeconomic development was associated with higher mortality from liver, stomach, cervical, and prostate cancers and lower mortality from breast, colorectal, and lung cancers, with variations by sex.We found considerable heterogeneity in cancer mortality between cities, geographical patterning, and associations between cancer mortality rates and socioeconomic development. Our results highlight the need to consider city contexts when planning interventions to reduce cancer mortality and when guiding future cancer prevention and control efforts in urban areas within the region.Wellcome Trust.For the Spanish and Portuguese translations of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

Authors & Co-authors:  Alfaro Tania T Martinez-Folgar Kevin K Stern Dalia D Wilches-Mogollon Maria A MA Muñoz María Pía MP Quick Harrison H Alazraqui Marcio M Ramirez-Zea Manuel M Miranda J Jaime JJ Lazo Mariana M Caiaffa Waleska Teixeira WT Roux Ana V Diez AVD Bilal Usama U

Study Outcome 

Source Link: Visit source

Statistics
Citations :  Bray F, Laversanne M, Sung H, et al. Global cancer statistics 2022: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA Cancer J Clin. 2024;74:229–263.
Authors :  13
Identifiers
Doi : 10.1016/S2214-109X(24)00446-7
SSN : 2214-109X
Study Population
Females
Mesh Terms
Humans
Other Terms
Study Design
Study Approach
Country of Study
Publication Country
England