Occurrence of cancers of the gastrointestinal tract in the Republic of Suriname. Results from a descriptive study between the years 1980 and 2008

Unhealthy dietary habits, physical inactivity, overweight and obesity, cigarette smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption have been associated with the development of non-communicable diseases including certain malignancies such as gastrointestinal tract cancers. This holds particularly true for economically developing countries such as the Republic of Suriname. In this study, we determined the incidence of gastrointestinal tract malignancies in Suriname for the period between 1980 and 2008. The data obtained have been stratified according to gender, age group, as well as ethnic background, and have been compared with international data.