DEATH CERTIFICATION ERRORS AND DIFFICULTI ES FOR INTERPRETING THE CANCER ORIGIN SITE

The aim of this study is to assess errors in the filling-out of death certificates and difficulties for disclosing the origin of neoplasms. This study was carried out in Tijuana, Mexico. Death certificates cont aining a diagnosis of cancer were selected from all death certificates issued from January 1 to December 31, 1989. The following variables w ere identified: age, sex, place of residence and cancer site. Using th ese criteria, we found that 74.9 per cent of death certificates had be en correctly filled out and 21.5 percent were errors. It was seen that the main cancer sites causing mortality were the lungs, breast, cervi couterine and stomach. Cancer in unknown sites was registered in 20.5 per cent of all certificates. Implications of these results are analyz ed in the light of mortality trends by causes and risk factors. We sug gest that training courses are given to physicians so that they fill o ut the certificates properly.