[Oral autopsy in dead women from breast cancer].
OBJECTIVE
To discover, through the use of verbal autopsies, the primary characteristics of patients who have died of breast cancer (BCa).


METHODS
We reviewed 105 death certificates where BCa was registered as the cause of death in a one-year period. A verbal autopsies instrument was designed for BCa, it was validated through expert consultation. A test-retest and Spearman coefficient were applied. The instrument explored sociodemographic, biological, life-style and health services variables. Data was obtained from patients' relatives. Any patient whose family could not be located or declined to participate was excluded from the study.


RESULTS
Eighty-one verbal autopsies were applied (77%). The mean age at the time of death was 53 +/- 15. There was a direct family history of BCa in 25%; and in 31 % there was overweight or obesity. Only 17% of the tumors were discovered by health care workers, and the mean survival after diagnosis was 2.3 +/- 2 years.


CONCLUSIONS
The verbal autopsy for BCa is a useful tool. It showed that 83 % of the deceased women identified the tumor by themselves. The health services must reinforce programs for BCa early detection.
González López
José de Jesús
Jde J
Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Baja California, México. avalles@uabc.mx.
Valles-Medina
Ana María
AM
Zonana-Nacach
Abraham
A
Ortiz-Soto
Irma
I
Gómez-Torres
María Evila
ME
Aguirre-Conde
Guillermo
G
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms; D002423:Cause of Death; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires