Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2025. Vol. 70. № 6
DOI:10.33266/1024-6177-2025-70-6-65-70
L.D. Mikryukova, D.A. Zavyalov
Mortality Due to Malignant Neoplasms of the Upper Gastrointestinal Tract in Chronically Exposed Population
Southern Urals Federal Research and Clinical Center, Chelyabinsk, Russia
Contact person: Lyudmila D. Mikryukova, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ABSTRACT
Purpose: Analysis of mortality rates from cancers of the upper gastrointestinal tract (GIT) among members of the Southern Urals Population Exposed to Radiation Cohort from 1956 to 2020.
Material and methods: The Southern Urals Population Exposed to Radiation Cohort includes individuals exposed by two radiation accidents in the Southern Urals. The follow-up period was 71 years, and the cohort size at the end of observation (2020) was 62,592 individuals. The total number of person-years at risk is 1964136.
Results: Over the study period, 1,587 cases of cancer of this site were registered, with 844 being observed in men, and 743 – in women. Stomach cancer make up 57 % of all upper GIT malignancies. A standardized mortality ratio (SMR) of upper GIT malignancies in the study cohort was significantly higher in men compared to that in women, except for the period 1960–1969. This trend was more pronounced over the last few years of the follow up period. An increase in mortality from upper GIT malignancies with an increase in the attained age was stated for both, men and women. Age-specific mortality rates in men are statistically significantly higher starting from the age of 40. The differences in mortality rates between ethnic groups are statistically insignificant, except for the period 2010–2020 when standardized mortality ratios of upper GIT malignancies in the group of Russians became statistically significantly higher compared to the groups of Tatars and Bashkirs.
Conclusion: The results obtained reveal key trends in the dynamics of mortality due to malignant neoplasms of the upper GIT. This will allow developing proper organizational decisions aimed at better medical treatment and development of preventive healthcare programs for the population of the affected territories.
Keywords: standardized mortality ratio, malignant neoplasms, gastrointestinal tract, the Southern Urals Population Exposed to Radiation Cohort, chronic exposure, low doses
For citation: Mikryukova LD, Zavyalov DA. Mortality Due to Malignant Neoplasms of the Upper Gastrointestinal Tract in Chronically Exposed Population. Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2025;70(6):65–70. (In Russian). DOI:10.33266/1024-6177-2025-70-6-65-70
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Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Financing. The work was carried out as part of the Federal Target Program «Ensuring Nuclear and Radiation Safety for 2016‒2020 and for the Period up to 2030».
Contribution. Mikryukova L.D. – research design, data analysis, data interpretation, article design, and article writing. Zavyalov D.A. – data analysis, discussion of results, preparation of article sections, and formatting.
Article received: 20.07.2025. Accepted for publication: 25.08.2025.