HOSPITALIZATIONS FOR CERVICAL CANCER IN THE BRAZILIAN UNIFIED HEALTH SYSTEM IN THE STATE OF ALAGOAS, BRAZIL

Abstract

This study aimed to describe the epidemiological profile and hospital expenditures of hospitalizations for malignant neoplasm of the cervix uteri funded by the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) among residents of Alagoas, Brazil, from 2016 to 2025. This is a descriptive, retrospective, quantitative epidemiological study using data from the SUS Hospital Information System (SIH/SUS), obtained from the SUS Department of Informatics (DATASUS). Year, age group, type of admission, length of stay, intensive care unit (ICU) use, death, health region and expenditures, adjusted by the Broad National Consumer Price Index (IPCA), were analyzed. A total of 5,026 hospitalizations were recorded, and the rate rose from 27.1 to 41.8 per 100,000 women aged 10 years or older between 2016 and 2025. Women aged 40 to 59 years (54.2%), emergency admissions (55.8%) and stays of up to three days (45.3%) predominated. ICU admission occurred in 6.7% of cases, and in-hospital case fatality was 11.8%. The 1st Health Region accounted for 45.9% of hospitalizations. Total expenditure was R$ 12,641,182.57, peaking in 2022. Hospitalizations increased over the period, with a predominance of emergency admissions and concentration in the 1st Health Region, suggesting weaknesses in the diagnostic pathway and reinforcing the role of nursing in screening, active search and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination.