Prevalence of diagnosis and types of cancer in the elderly: data from National Health Survey 2013

Abstract Objective: Estimate the prevalence of medical diagnosis of cancer in the elderly, describe the types of cancer, limitations in daily activities, health self-assessment, and the relationship between cancer and chronic diseases/conditions. Methods: Cross-sectional population-based study using data from the elderly (n=11,177) who participated in the National Health Survey (PNS/2013). Prevalence and 95% confidence intervals were estimated. Results: The mean age was 69.8 years (CI95%:69.5-70.1) and 56.4% (CI95%:54.8-58.0) were women. The diagnosis of cancer was mentioned by 5.6% (CI95%:5.0-6.4) of the elderly, is higher for men (7.1%) than in woman (4.7%; p