Epidemiological profile and incidence rate of pancreatic cancer over the last 10 years in Brazil: an ecological study

Keywords

pancreatic cancer - incidence - Brazil

Introduction: Pancreatic cancer ranks 14th among the most common types of cancer in Brazil. In 2021, it was the 5th and 7th cancer with the highest mortality in women and men respectively.

Objective: To analyze the epidemiological profile and incidence rate of pancreatic cancer in Brazil from 2013 to 2023.

Methods: This is an ecological, quantitative and descriptive study on cases of pancreatic cancer in the period of 2013-2023 in Brazil. Data was obtained through DATASUS. Sex, age group, region and staging were analyzed in relation to CID 10 C25. Incidence rates were calculated based on data from the Population Projection of Brazil by sex and age for the period 2010-2060 (2018 edition), available through IBGE.

Results: In the period analyzed, 34,144 new cases of pancreatic cancer were recorded, of which 49.7% were men and 50.3% were women. The number of cases increased during the period analyzed, with 1,752 cases in 2013 and 4,716 cases in 2023. The age groups with the highest number of cases were 60-79 years old (55.0%) and 40-59 years old (35.6%). Most of the diagnoses described were clinical stage IV (40.4%), III (11.0%), II (5.3%) and I (2.1%). However, 39.4% of diagnoses were staged as unknown (21%) or not applicable (18.4%). The incidence of pancreatic cancer in Brazil increased in the period analyzed, from 0.88 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 2013 to 2.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023. The incidence rate increased in all variables evaluated. In the analysis by gender, there was a similar increase in the incidence of both genders during the period analyzed. In the analysis by age group, the 60-79 age group stands out, with an increase from 4.67 to 9.48 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

Conclusion: The incidence of pancreatic cancer in Brazil increased during the period analyzed. The incidence was similar between genders but was higher in the 60-79 and 80+ age groups. Other Brazilian and global analyses also showed an increased incidence in older patients, but there were differences in relation to gender (some with no difference between genders and others with a higher incidence in women). The underreporting of Brazilian data regarding cancer and the use of a projection of the Brazilian population to calculate the incidence represent limitations of our study. Due to the increased incidence of pancreatic cancer, normally diagnosed at advanced stages and high mortality, it is urgent to improve screening and earlier diagnosis.

Corresponding author: Luísa Mostardeiro Tabajara Franche (e-mail: [e-mail]).

 

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No conflict of interest has been declared by the author(s).

Publication History

Article published online:
06 May 2025