Incidencia y mortalidad en Cuba por cáncer del sistema digestivo, 2015-2017

Introduction: Few epidemiological studies have been conducted about gastrointestinal tumors in Cuba. Objective: Describe the incidence and mortality of gastrointestinal cancer in Cuba from 2015 to 2017. Methods: A descriptive analysis was performed of the risk of becoming ill with and dying of cancer. The analysis was based on frequencies, crude rates and rates adjusted by age to the global standard population per 100 000 inhabitants, according to sex, province of residence, topographical location, clinical stage and mortality / incidence ratio. Results: 15.9% cancer incidence and 25.2% cancer mortality in Cuba are attributed to malignant tumors of the digestive system, more than 70% of these with location in the colon, stomach, esophagus and pancreas. The highest rates of gastrointestinal cancer incidence for both sexes were found in Havana, Matanzas and Cienfuegos. Incidence and mortality values show that 75.5% and 80.2% of the patients are aged over 60 years, respectively. A slight increase in the risk of becoming ill was observed in the male sex. 40.2% of the patients are reported without a clinical stage at diagnosis. Overall mortality / incidence rate was 0.82 without any difference between the sexes. This indicator showed better results in the under 60 years age group. Conclusions: Gastrointestinal tumors are a great challenge to public health, where primary and secondary prevention measures continue to be the most important control tools. Key words: incidence; mortality; gastrointestinal cancer; epidemiology.