Oral autopsy in dead women from breast cancer
Main Article Content
Keywords
Autopsy, Breast Neoplasms, Death Certificates
Abstract
Objective: to discover the primary characteristics of patients who have died of breast cancer (BCa) through the use of verbal autopsies.
Methods: it was reviewed 105 death certificates where BCa was registered as the cause of death in a year period. A verbal autopsies instrument was designed for BCa, it was validated through expert consultation. A test-retest and Spearman coefficient were applied. The instrument explored sociodemographic, biological, life-style and health services variables. Data was obtained from patients’ relatives. Any patient whose family could not be localized or declined to participate was excluded from the study.
Results: eighty one verbal autopsies were applied (77 %). The mean age at the time of death was 53 ± 15. There was a direct family history of BCa in 25 %; and in 31 % there were overweight or obese. Only 17 % of the tumors were discovered by health care workers, and the mean survival after diagnosis was 2.3 ± 2 years.
Conclusion: the verbal autopsy for BCa is a useful tool. It showed that 83 % of the deceased women identified the tumor by themselves. The health services must reinforce programs for BCa early detection.
References
Mettlin C. Global breast cancer mortality statis-tics. CA Cancer J Clin 1999;49(3):138-144.
De Cherney AH. Current obstetric and gynecologic diagnosis and treatment. Ninth edition. USA: Lange Medical Books; 2003. p. 1101.
Jernal A, Murray T, Ward E, Samuels A, Tiwari RC, Ghafoor A, et al. Cancer statistics, 2005. CA Cancer J Clin 2005;55(1):10-30.
López-Ríos O, Lázaro-Ponce EC, Tovar-Guzmán V, Hernández-Ávila M. La epidemia de cáncer de mama en México, ¿consecuencia de la transición demográfica? Salud Publica Mex 1997;39(4):259-265.
Estadísticas de mortalidad relacionada con la salud reproductiva. México, 2002. Salud Publica Mex 2004;46(1):12-16.
Rodríguez-Cuevas S, Carpuso-García M. Epidemiología del cáncer de mama. Ginecol Obstet Mex 2006;74(11):585-593.
Novoa-Vargas A, Pliego-Aguilar M, Malagón-Millán B, Bustillos-de Cima R. Historia natural del cáncer de mama. Ginecol Obstet Mex 2006;74(2): 115-120.
Cárdenas R. El uso de la autopsia verbal en el análisis de la salud. Estudios Demográficos y Urbanos 2000;15(3):665-683.
Soleman N, Chandramohan D, Shibuya K. Verbal autopsy: current practices and challenges. Bull World Health Org 2006;84(3):239-245.
Chandramohan D, Maude GH, Rodríguez LC, Hayes RJ. Verbal autopsies for adult deaths: their development and validation in a multi-centre study. Trop Med Int Health 1998;3(6):436-446.
Martínez H, Reyes, Tomé P. The verbal autopsy: a tool for the study of mortality in children. Bol Med Hosp Infant Mex 1993;50(1):57-63.
Chávez-García V, Zonana-Nacach A, Duarte M. Autopsia verbal en cáncer cervicouterino: estudio descriptivo. Rev Med Inst Mex Seguro Soc 2007; 45(2):199-204.
Valles-Medina AM. Autopsia verbal para cáncer de mama: diseño y validación de un instrumento [tesis], Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Tijuana, B. C. 2002.
Lalonde M. A new perspective of the health of Ca-nadians: a working document Ottawa, Canada, 1975. En: El concepto del campo de salud: una perspectiva Canadiense. Bol Epidemiol OPS 1983; 4(3):13-15.
Secretaría de Salud. Norma oficial mexicana NOM-017-SSA2-1994, para la vigilancia epidemiológica. México: Secretaría de Salud; 1999.
Torres A, Doubova VS. Cáncer de mama. Detección oportuna en el primer nivel. Rev Med Inst Mex Seguro Soc 2007;45(2):157-166.
López L, Torres L, López M. Identificación de lesiones mamarias malignas en México. Salud Publica Mex 2001;43(3):336-404.