Gastric Cancer in Minas Gerais: Study on the Profile of Hospital Morbimortality

Abstract

Introduction: Malignant stomach cancer is the fifth most incident type of neoplasm and the third leading cause of death by cancer worldwide. It is a severe pathology, usually diagnosed in advanced stages in Brazil. Objective: Analyze, through the records in the Hospital Information System of the Unified Health System (SIH-SUS), the profile of hospitalizations for malignant neoplasm of the stomach in hospitals affiliated to the public and private sector in the state of Minas Gerais from 2007 to 2017. Method: Descriptive, quantitative, observational, retrospective study with public data from the SIH-SUS, from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2017. The study sites were the hospital units that are part of the SUS (public or private affiliated). Results: There was similarity regarding the national reality for most of the aspects analyzed, such as an increase in the rate of hospitalizations and reduction in hospital mortality rates over the years. Most of the consultations were urgent and in private hospitals. Higher incidence was found for males (67.3%) and individuals aged 60 years or older (60.7%). The mean time of hospitalization was 1.4 times longer in public compared with private hospitals; hospital lethality was higher in the public service (8.9%) compared with private (4.9%) in elective care. Conclusion: The distribution of results was heterogeneous among the health macro-regions, demonstrating that the decentralization of resources is still a major challenge for the Brazilian health system.