Objective: To estimate the mortality age-standardized rates (ASR) for breast and cervical cancer from 2000-2007 and explore social indicators that explain the variability of rates in Antioquia.
Material and methods: The ASR was estimated by the direct method and linear regression was used to relate social indicators with rates by subregion.
Results: Breast and cervical cancer mortality ASRs in Antioquia were 11.3 and 9.1 per 100 000 woman-years respectively. In Medellin, the breast cancer mortality ASR was 12.5, 1.8 times the rate of cervical cancer. A decrease of cervical cancer ASR between 2000 and 2007 was observed in Medellin (p-value=0.03) but not in the rest of Antioquia. Cervical cancer mortality ASR was related to the percentage of poverty (p-value=0.0003).
Conclusions: Mortality due to these neoplasms has remained constant in Antioquia. The wide variation in mortality from cervical cancer between regions seems to be associated with poverty.