Background: The purpose of the article was to analyze the years of potential life lost (YPLL) of women who died from breast and cervical cancer in the State of Parana, Southern Brazil. This was a temporal trend study (2000 to 2010) about the coefficients of mortality and the years of potential life lost in women aged 20 to 70 years.
Materials and methods: Data were obtained through the database of the Department of the Unified Health System (DATASUS) and the National Mortality Information System.
Results: There was a loss of 125.075 YPLL due to breast cancer, with an average of 11.370 YPLL. Regarding cervical cancer, the figure obtained was 91.625 YPLL from 2000 to 2010, with an average of 8.329 YPLL. Increased risk of death from breast cancer was observed for women aged 50 to 59 years, with a significant increase among those in the age group from 40 to 49 years. There was an increased rate of cervical cancer among women 40 to 69 years.
Conclusions: The risk of death grows with increasing age, being higher from 40 years. Prevention is paramount for both cancers. Thus, preventive measures are required and a reassessment of political strategies should be adopted.