The effect of redistribution of ill-defined causes of death on the mortality rate of breast cancer in Brazil.

The relevance of breast cancer for women has driven research about mortality of this disease. However, these studies are affected by problems generated by deaths due to ill-defined causes (IDC). To highlight distortions caused by IDC in studies that evaluate mortality, we calculated the age-standardized mortality rates of breast cancer, with and without adjustment for IDC for the years 1990, 2000, and 2010.

[Breast cancer mortality in Brazilian municipalities and associated factorsMortalidad por cáncer de mama en municipios brasileños y factores asociados].

Objective: To analyze breast cancer mortality trends in Brazilian municipalities and assess the influence of socioeconomic and demographic factors on mortality rates.

Methods: Age-adjusted mortality rates were calculated for the periods centered in 1990, 2000, and 2010 and corrected for ill-defined causes of death. After that, panel data regression models were developed for analysis of the association between the factors of interest and the mortality rate from breast cancer in Brazilian municipalities.