Cancer mortality in central Serbia

Area of Science:

• Epidemiology
• Public Health
• Oncology

Background:

• Cancer is a leading global cause of death.
• Understanding regional mortality trends is crucial for public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze cancer mortality trends in central Serbia from 2002 to 2011.
• To identify specific cancer types contributing to mortality changes.

Main Methods:

• Descriptive epidemiological study using Cancer Registry data.
• Calculation of age-adjusted and age-specific mortality rates.
• Linear regression analysis for trend estimation.

Main Results:

• Cancer accounted for approximately 20% of annual deaths.
• Males had a 1.3-fold higher cancer mortality rate than females.
• Significant increases in age-adjusted mortality rates for both sexes were observed, particularly for lung, colorectal, prostate, pancreatic, and breast cancers.

Conclusions:

• Central Serbia shows an upward trend in cancer mortality for both males and females.
• Higher cancer mortality in males persists, with specific cancer types driving the increase.