Introduction: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer among Portuguese women and it is associated with high hospitalization rates. Therefore, this study aims to characterize the BC hospital admission rate (HAR) in women in the period of 2002–2016, with an additional focus on spatiotemporal patterns of hospitalizations by BC (main code). Methods: After a descriptive analysis of all BC hospitalizations, the main BC code HAR was studied using mapping techniques, analysis of spatiotemporal clusters, and analysis of spatial variations in temporal trends. Results: The BC-HAR was 118.72/105 women, showing a growth of 3.109% per year in this period. The median length of stay (LOS) in these patients was 5 days, and most cases were programmed surgical admissions. Several spatiotemporal clusters and spatial variations in temporal trends were detected. The seaside area of the country showed 4 high HAR clusters in the spatiotemporal analysis. Additionally, the seaside north of the country and 2 isolated counties presented significantly different temporal trends in BC-HAR versus the rest of the country. These clusters suggest regional asymmetries, as they showed differences in terms of: demographic characteristics (age at admission and rurality of county of residence), the type of admission, LOS, and outcomes of hospitalization. Conclusion: This study identified key areas of high BC-HAR and increasing trends for female HAR, providing evidence of spatial heterogeneities in this health indicator.

Keywords:
Breast neoplasms, Spatiotemporal analysis, Hospitalization, Portugal

Introdução: O cancro da mama é a neoplasia mais comum em mulheres Portuguesas e é responsável por elevadas taxas de hospitalização. Como tal, este estudo pretende caracterizar as admissões hospitalares por cancro da mama feminino no período de 2002–2016, com foco adicional nos padrões espácio-temporais das hospitalizações por cancro da mama (código principal). Métodos: Após uma análise descritiva de todas as hospitalizações com código de cancro da mama, os internamentos com código principal para esta patologia foram estudados com recurso a técnicas de mapeamento, análise de clusters espácio-temporais e variações espaciais em tendências temporais. Resultados: A taxa de internamento hospitalar por cancro da mama foi 118.72/105 mulheres, mostrando um crescimento de 3.109%/ano neste período. A mediana do tempo de hospitalização nestas doentes foi 5 dias, e a maioria dos internamentos corresponderam a admissões cirúrgicas programadas. Vários clusters espácio-temporais e variações espaciais em tendências temporais foram detetados. A zona costeira do país apresentou 4 clusters com elevada taxa de internamento hospitalar na análise espácio-temporal. Adicionalmente, a zona norte costeira e 2 concelhos isolados exibiram tendências temporais significativamente diferentes das descritas no resto do país. Estes clusters sugerem assimetrias regionais, apresentando divergências nas características demográficas (idade de admissão e ruralidade do concelho de residência), tipo de admissão, tempo de internamento e outcome da hospitalização. Conclusão: Este estudo identificou áreas chave de elevada taxa de internamento hospitalar por cancro da mama e uma tendência crescente nestes internamentos, fornecendo dados sobre a heterogeneidade espacial neste indicador de saúde.

Palavras Chave Cancro da mama, Análise espácio-temporal, Hospitalização, Portugal

Keywords:
Breast neoplasms, Spatiotemporal analysis, Hospitalization, Portugal
This content is only available via PDF.
© 2020 The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel on behalf of NOVA National School of Public Health
2020
Open Access License / Drug Dosage / Disclaimer
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND). Usage and distribution for commercial purposes as well as any distribution of modified material requires written permission. Drug Dosage: The authors and the publisher have exerted every effort to ensure that drug selection and dosage set forth in this text are in accord with current recommendations and practice at the time of publication. However, in view of ongoing research, changes in government regulations, and the constant flow of information relating to drug therapy and drug reactions, the reader is urged to check the package insert for each drug for any changes in indications and dosage and for added warnings and precautions. This is particularly important when the recommended agent is a new and/or infrequently employed drug. Disclaimer: The statements, opinions and data contained in this publication are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of the publishers and the editor(s). The appearance of advertisements or/and product references in the publication is not a warranty, endorsement, or approval of the products or services advertised or of their effectiveness, quality or safety. The publisher and the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to persons or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content or advertisements.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License .
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives