Incidence and Patterns of Digestive Organ Cancer in Georgia: Insights from a Population-Based Registry Study in 2021

SIMPLE SUMMARY: A population-based registry study was conducted to investigate the incidence of digestive organ cancer in Georgia. The study used data from the Georgian Population-based Cancer Registry (GPCR) and included all cases of digestive organ cancer diagnosed in Georgia in 2021. The results showed that the overall incidence of digestive organ cancer in Georgia was similar to the global average, but there were some differences in the specific types of digestive organ cancer that were most common in the country. The study also found that the incidence of digestive organ cancer varied by region in Georgia, with some areas having higher rates of this disease than others. The results of this study provide important insights into the incidence of digestive organ cancer in Georgia and highlight the need for further research to better understand the factors that contribute to this disease. ABSTRACT: Digestive organ cancer, also known as gastrointestinal (GI) cancer, refers to cancer that occurs in the digestive tract. In this population-based registry study, we aimed to investigate the incidence of GI in Georgia and to identify any patterns in the occurrence of different types of this disease. The study included all cases of GI cancer that were diagnosed in Georgia in 2021. We analyzed 1635 patients’ data to determine the overall and age-standardized incidence of GI cancer in the country. The analyses were performed for esophagus, stomach, colon, rectum, anus, liver and intrahepatic bile ducts, gallbladder, and pancreas separately. The descriptive statistics used in the study—specifically counts, means, proportions, and rates—were calculated using the statistical software STATA version 17.0. (StataCorp, College Station, TX, USA). The results of the study showed that the incidence of digestive organ cancer in Georgia was similar to the global average. However, there were some notable differences in the specific types of GI cancer that were most common in the country. Overall, this study provides important insights into the incidence of digestive organ cancer in Georgia and highlights the need for further research to better understand the factors that contribute to this disease.