Malignant tumors. Quality assessment of premortem diagnoses. 1993-1999

Abstract

Introduction: cancer in Cuba is considered a national health problem because it occupies the second cause of death in the country, and the primary objective of our health system is to prolong the quantity and quality of human life. Objective: to assess the behavior of malignant tumors and the quality of pre-mortem diagnoses. Method: a study was carried out in necropsies performed consecutively in the Teaching General Hospital "Dr. Agostinho Neto "from Guantánamo, in the period from the last quarter of 1993 to December 1999. Of a total of 5359 necropsies, in 926 malignant tumors were diagnosed as the basic cause of death, which constituted our universe of study. The WHO criteria for causes of death were used, the basic and direct causes of death were analyzed, selected on the basis of a clinical-pathological correlation, including, some functional disorder or biochemical alteration as a direct cause of death. Results: among the first ten sites of origin, the lung occupied the first place, with a quarter of the cases, and the prostate as the second cause of getting sick and dying from cancer. As a basic cause of death, the malignant tumor represents 89.8%, while bronchopneumonia, pulmonary thromboembolism and terminal stage represented more than half of the deceased, in which bronchopneumonia, by itself, affected more than the third part. A high percentage of diagnostic discrepancies was observed when evaluating each case individually. Conclusions: the most affected age group was 65-74 years old, with a predominance of males. The malignant tumors with the highest incidence were those of the lung, prostate and cervix. Bronchopneumonia was the most frequent direct cause of death. There was a lower percentage of clinical-pathological diagnostic discrepancy for the basic cause of death, but not for the direct cause of death.