Comparison of mortality rates from cardiovascular disease and the most common cancers in Brazil in 2019 and 2022: a dimensional approach

Keywords

cardiovascular diseases - cancers - mortality rate

Introduction: Cancer (CA) and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the two leading causes of death worldwide. Age-adjusted mortality rates for CVD and cancer represented nearly 30% and 20% of all death causes in Brazil in the last 20 years, respectively. Studies show, though, that cancer tends to be the major cause of death in the Brazilian population in the next few years, according to epidemiological trends. Furthermore, as risk factors of these two diseases overlap, it's expected that mortality rates overlap too.

Objective: Compare mortality rates from CVD and CA, with emphasis on breast, prostate, and colon cancer, using infectious and parasitic diseases (IPD) as control, in Brazilian states during the period from 2019 to 2022.

Methodology: Ecological study using data from DATASUS and IBGE, evaluating mortality rates for CVD (ICD-10 Chapter IX) and for breast, prostate and colon CA (ICD-10 Chapter II) in the Brazilian federative units for 2019 and 2022. The mortality rate for IPD (ICD-10 Chapter I), within the same time-space frame, was used as a control group. The years 2020 and 2021 were excluded due to potential data contamination from the COVID-19 pandemic. Absolute mortality data were adjusted for population using IBGE estimates. Pearson correlation test was used.

Results: All three of the most common cancers in the Brazilian population, respectively, breast, prostate and colorectal adenocarcinoma, have a strong correlation with CVD. After the data collection and analysis through the calculation of Pearson's correlation coefficient, it was found that, in 2019, there was a very strong correlation (r = 0,75) between the three most common cancer types and CVD in Brazil. As for the correlation between cancer and infectious diseases and CVD and infectious diseases, both had a moderate correlation (r = 0,49 and r = 0,50, respectively). As for 2022, all three Pearson's correlation coefficients indicated a very strong correlation, be it for cancer/CVD, cancer/infectious diseases and CVD/infectious diseases.

Conclusion: The correlation between common cancers and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in Brazil in 2019 and 2022 indicates a significant overlap in risk factors. Integrated public health strategies could potentially reduce overall mortality by addressing the prevention of common risk factors for both conditions. These findings also highlight the importance of cardio-oncology specialists in improving the health outcomes of the population.

Corresponding author: Gabriela Vieira Bon (e-mail: [e-mail]).