Cancer Incidence and Mortality in Young Adults in Two Regions of São Paulo State

Introduction:  Cancer in young adults is uncommon and tends to be more aggressive. There is evidence of an increase in incidence and mortality for some types of cancer.

Objective:  To assess the incidence (2002-2018) and mortality (2000-2020) of the main cancers in young adults (20-39 years old) residing in two areas of the State of São Paulo: the municipality of São Paulo and the Barretos region.

Method:  Incidence data were obtained from the Population-Based Cancer Registries of São Paulo and Barretos. Deaths and population data were obtained from the Department of Informatics of the National Health System (DATASUS). To contextualize cancer, an analysis of the leading causes of death in young adults was performed. Subsequently, crude incidence and mortality rates for cancer were calculated, along with their trends through annual percentage change (APC).

Results:  The distribution of causes of cancer-related deaths was similar for both regions. In males, the most frequent types were leukemia, nervous system cancers, and colorectal cancer, while in females, the most common were breast cancer, cervical cancer, and colorectal cancer.

Conclusion:  There is a trend of increasing rates for some types of cancer in young adults, particularly breast cancer, cervical cancer, and colorectal cancer.

Key words:
Young Adult; Adult; Incidence; Mortality/trends; Neoplasms/mortality