ALIMENTARY TRACT DIGEST LIVER OIS 2000;32:3GG-91 Mortality trends of malignant tumours of digestive organs in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, 1975-l 997 6. Adanja 2. Gledovic T. Pe kmezovic H. Vlajinac M. Jarebinski V. Zivaljevic M. Pavlovic ins&&e of Epidemiology, Schoolof Medicine,Universiy of Beigmde, Yugoslavia. Adswe fur c&wme#me: Prof. Dr. B. Adanja. Institute of Epidemiology, Schoolof Medicina, University of Belgrade, Visegrsdska 2BA, B&grade I IUQU, Yugoslavia. Fax: +361- 1l-36 I 5768. SubmiWd October 29, 1999. Revised April 4, 2OQD. AcceptedMay 8, 200. Aim. To analyse mortality trends of malignant digestive tract tu- mours. Material and methods. Population of Belgrade [Yugoslavia] in the period 1975-I 997. Mortality rates were standardized by direct method using world population as the standard. For time series, exponential trends were calculated by the use of three-year moving average rates. Results. In males, the highest mortality rate was for stomach can- cer - 14.6 per 100,000 [average for the period 1975-19971, fol- lowed by cancer of liver and cancer of colon - 8.4/l 00,000, can- cer of rectum - 8.1/100,000, cancer of pancreas - 7.3/l 00,000, oesophageal cancer - 2.8/l 00,000 and gallblad- der cancer - 2.0/100,000. In males, upward mortality trends for carcinomas of colon, rectum, pancreas, oesophagus, gallbladder and bile ducts were observed. The mortality rates series for stom- ach cancer and liver cancer did not fit any usual trend function. In females, the highest mortality rate was also for stomach cancer - 7.7 per 100,000, then for cancer of colon - 6.0/100,000, can- cer of rectum - 5.3/100,000, cancer of liver - 4.4/100,000, cancer of pancreas - 4.4/l 00,000, gallbladder cancer - 3.4/l 00,000 and oesophageal cancer - 0.8/100,000. In fe- males, upward mortality trends were observed for colon and rec- tal cancer: cancer of pancreas, and gallbladder and bile duct can- cer Downward mortality trends were present for stomach cancer and liver cancer. Mortality rates series for oesophageal cancer did not fit any usual trend function. Conclusions. In the majority of digestive tracts cancers, an upward mortality trend was observed which is in keeping with the mortali- ty trends of these malignant tumours in many other countries. Digest liver Dis 2000;32:388-81 Key words: cancer; digestive tract: mortality Introduction Malignant tumours of digestive organs account for one third of all malig- nant tumours throughout the world. They have held this dominant position for several decades in spite of great changes in the frequency of individual cancers within the group. Carcinoma of the stomach has the highest inci- dence rate but its downward trend is evident in a large number of countries.