Objective: Analyze cancer mortality and trends among adolescents and young adults (AYAs) according to the population size of Brazilian municipalities. Methods: Ecological study on cancer mortality time trends between 1996 and 2012. Brazilian municipalities were stratified according to the number of inhabitants: ≤49,999; 50,000-99,999; 100,000-499,999; and ≥500,000. Death data were collected from the Mortality Information System. Time trends were estimated with the Joinpoint Regression Program. Results: Age-standardized cancer mortality rates for AYAs according to the population size of the municipality were: 4.5/100,000 (1996) and 6.1/100,000 (2012) for municipalities with under 49,999 inhabitants; 5.5/100,000 (1996) and 5.8/100,000 (2012) for municipalities with 50,000-99,999 inhabitants; 6.6/100,000 (1996) and 6.9/100,000 (2012) for municipalities with 100,000-499,999 inhabitants; and 7.3/100,000 (1996) and 7.8/100,000 (2012) for municipalities with ≥500,000 inhabitants. An increasing mortality time trend was detected in municipalities with under 49,999 inhabitants (average annual percentage change [AAPC]: 2.0%) and for the country overall (AAPC: 0.7%). Mortality increased in small municipalities of the North, Northeast, and Midwest regions. Conclusion: Cancer mortality among AYAs, according to the population size of Brazilian municipalities, was high in municipalities with under 49,999 inhabitants and unequal across Brazil for all tumors.
Keywords: adolescent; mortality; neoplasms; trends; young adults.