Abstract
Objective: Identify the main death causes in cancer patients, to know the most occurring tumors, the prevalence of metastasis and if possible, the average time of the diagnosis of the disease until the time of death. Methodology: The medical records of all cancer patients who died in 2014 at Northern Hospital of the State of Rio Grande do Sul were analyzed. Results: The sample consisted of 244 patients, mosty male (n=133; 54,5%) and most deaths around the age from 70 to 79 years aold (n=84; 34,4%) without mestatic disease, in the presence of metastasis, this age drops to 50 to 59 years old with an extralife of less than 6 months. The most common cancers were lung, breast and stomach. The most prevalent cause of death was development of neoplasia (n=70; 30.3%). More than half of patientis who were studied showed some related comorbidity, being that 32,4% (n=79) held more than two comorbidities, among the frequent are arterial hypertension (n= 93), diabete tipo 2 (n= 41) and heart diseases (n=17). Conclusion: Now, more than ever, we realize the need to prevent cancer and if not possible, to diagnose as soon as possible, that way, avoiding more advanced and metastic diseases, giving the patient an extended life with quality.