Introduction Occupational cancer is a major public health problem, producing impacts on quality of life and survival of workers. Despite cancer is a multifactorial disease, it is recognised that occupational exposures can be eliminated, preventing the occurrence of new cases of occupational cancers, deaths and disabilities.

Objective To analyse the progress of occupational cancers cases recorded between the years 2007 and 2014, in Brazil, and investigate possible correlations between prognosis and other variables.

Methodology Epidemiological, descriptive and exploratory study that analyse the cases of occupational cancer notified by the Brazilian Health System. Sociodemographic and occupational variables have been analysed by their frequency and by de prognosis of the cases. The prognosis of the cases was classified like worst if the record was disease progression, or without therapeutic possibility or cancer death. The best prognosis was classified by registry of complete or partial disease remission. A bivariate analysis was performed, with the Pearson’s Chi Square Test (p < 0.05), to analyse possible correlations between the evolution of the cases and covariates.

Results Between 2007 and 2014 were reported 532 cases of occupational cancers. The worst prognosis regarding the evolution of cases of occupational cancer occurred in males, caucasians and older than 60 years. In the bivariate analysis, the variables sex (p = 0.000), age (p = 0.001) and education level (p = 0.000) were correlated to worse prognosis.

Conclusion Although the incidence of occupational cancers is growing in Brazil, the data reflect underreporting, impairing effective surveillance of the problem. The effective public health surveillance of occupational cancers involves since the recognition and registration of cancer cases, exposures prevention strategies, until integral health care.