Cancer mortality in Mexico. Findings and public policy recommendations

Introduction : Cancer is an important public health problem. Due to its impact on survival, quality of life and economic burden. The objective of this paper was to analyze the impact and trend of cancer mortality in Mexico to suggest some public policy recommendations to tackle this public health problem. Methodology : Through secondary analysis of mortality information in Mexico (2010- 2022), crude mortality rates adjusted for age and sex are estimated using the direct method; evolution of adjusted mortality rates is assessed by using the Joint Point Regression. Results : During the study period, a total of 33,258 cancer deaths were recorded in children under 18 years of age and 1,103,740 in adults. The age- and sex-adjusted mortality rate per 100,000 population decreased from 83.9 (95% CI: 83.3–84.5) in 2010 to 76.5 (95% CI: 76.0–77.0) in 2022. Conclusions : In Mexico, there has been a decrease in cancer-adjusted mortality. However, there are regional differences in adjusted cancer mortality rates; in some states the impact of mortality has increased and that is where clearer public policies aimed at prevention and improvement in the quality of care should be implemented.