Regional differences in hospitalizations for malignant pancreatic neoplasm: a descriptive ecological study

Keywords

pancreatic cancer - rate - hospitalization - mortality

Introdution: Malignant pancreatic neoplasm involves the mutation of DNA in pancreatic glandular epithelial cells, leading to uncontrolled division, tumor formation, and subsequently cancer. This type of cancer is considered fatal in most cases due to its extreme aggressiveness.

Objective: Analyze regional differences in pancreatic cancer in Brazil and identify temporal trends.

Methods: An ecological epidemiological study was conducted. The data were obtained from the Hospital Information System of each region of Brazil, covering the period from 2014 to 2023. Variables analyzed included age, hospitalization rate (per 100,000 inhabitants), mortality, and average length of stay. Simple Linear Regression and the Kruskal-Wallis test were used, employing Microsoft Excel and GraphPad Prism software.

Results: All variables showed significant differences between regions (p<0.05).The average hospitalization rate in the country was 58.59, with the South region having the highest rate (108.9) and the North region the lowest rate (19.9). The age group of 60 to 69 years also had the highest hospitalization rate. All regions showed a significant trend of growth (p<0.05), with the highest increase in the South (β=4.37). The average mortality rate in the country was 23.50. The South region (22.4) had the lowest mortality rate, while the North (28.26) had the highest, with patients over 80 years old being the most affected. The largest trend of increase occurred in the Central-West region (p<0.05; β=0.77). Regarding the average length of stay, the country as a whole shows an average of approximately 7 days. The South and North regions stand out again, with the South having the shortest average (6.69 days) and the North the longest (10.27 days). In this variable, the individuals with the highest average were those aged between 50 and 79 years.

Conclusion: The North, Northeast, and Central-West regions had hospitalization rates below the national average, with the North having the lowest rate and the South the highest. The North and Southeast have the highest mortality rates, while the South has the lowest. Regarding the average length of stay, the North and Northeast are above the overall average, indicating that, despite the North's lower hospitalization rate, patients stay in the hospital longer and have higher mortality rates. The South, despite its high hospitalization rate, has mortality and length of stay below the national average.

Corresponding author: João vitor Pessoa Campelo (e-mail: [e-mail]).