PROSTATE MALIGNANT NEOPLASMS: MORTALITY AND EPIDEMIOLOGICAL PROFILE IN BAHIA, 2015-2020

Introduction: Prostate adenocarcinoma is the second leading cause of neoplasm death among men in the world. In Brazil, it has been estimated for the triennio 2020-2022 about 66.000 new cases, although, the National Cancer Institute does not recommend systematic screening. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the most relevant epidemiologic factors for the active surveillance of prostatic neoplasm, in search of actions against the negative outcome of the disease. Objective: To describe the epidemiologic profile of prostatic cancer, by analyzing diagnostic and treatment time, as well as how it can impact the mortality rate in Bahia, in the period between january 2015 and december 2020. Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study using data from DATASUS/SIH-SUS. “Prostate Malignant Neoplasm” was used in the platform comorbidity list and Bahia region. Treatment and diagnostic variables, besides the number of deaths in the period, were analyzed. Moreover, comparative calculations were used to compose the table. Results: Eight thousand eight hundred eightty-six cases of malignant prostate cancer were registered in the population over 20 years old in Bahia. The fatality rate was 13,73%. The year with highest diagnostic rate was 2019 (20,60%), following a growth trend in the years 2016 (17,03%), 2017 (17,27%) and 2018 (18,99%). Though, 2020 presented only 8,03% of the total number of diagnoses, contradicting this trend, possibly justified by the low flow of elective care resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. The most affected age group is between 65-69 years old (21,42%), which follows the global tendency. Chemotherapy was the most used therapeutic modality (56,67%), whose indication occurs in advanced stages of the prostate cancer (stages III or IV). Conclusion: There is a trend towards an increase in the rate of diagnosis of malignant prostate cancer. The lethality found indicates a possible late diagnosis, as well as the predominance of therapy used in more advanced stages of the disease. Therefore, it is important to understand the epidemiological profile for future studies, searching for better screening and public health system management of prostate tumors.