[Epidemiologic characteristics of malignant tumors of the digestive tract in Serbia 1969-1990].

The epidemiological situation of the chosen malignant tumors of digestive tract for the period 1969 - 1990, was analyzed in Serbia without autonomous provinces, based on the data of mortality rate. During this observed 22-year period the average standardized mortality rate (%000) was lowest for the oesophageal cancer (men - 2.2; women - 0.6) and gall bladder cancer (1:1.8) and highest for the stomach cancer (14.3:7.1). Men in relation to women died more of oesophageal cancer (3.7 times), stomach (2 times), colon (1.2 times), rectum (1.4 times) and pancreas (1.7 times). In both male and female population the highest average specific mortality rates were observed for persons over the age of 75 for all observed malignancies of digestive system. The standardized mortality rates for both sexes for the period 1969-1990 demonstrated the trend of increase for the cancers of oesophagus, colon, rectum, gall bladder, and pancreas, and the decrease for the stomach cancer.