OBJECTIVETo provide basic information for epidemiological research of gastrointestinal (GI) malignant tumors.

METHODSData of GI cancer diagnosed in 15 hospitals of Heilongjiang province between January 1998 and December 2007 were analyzed retrospectively. The data mainly involved the age of onset, initial symptoms, pathological types, clinical staging and types of surgical procedure.

RESULTSGastric cancer was the most common type (45.8%) among the 33,540 GI cancer cases, then were rectal cancer (27.3%) and colon cancer (26.8%). Right colon cancer cases were more common than the left ones (1.3:1.0), particularly in people over 80 (2.1:1.0). Only 1.3% of colorectal cancer could be found in age under 30 years old. In patients aged 50 to 70, advanced gastric cancer accounted for 70.6%, advanced colon cancer 73.4% and advanced rectal cancer 72.4%. Well-moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma in early gastric cancer was 49.7%, early colon cancer 77.3% and rectal cancer 83.2%. Patients undergone radical excision in early gastric cancer accounted for 69.1%, advanced gastric cancer 79.9%, left colon cancer 91.9%, right colon cancer 83.9% and in rectal cancer for 88.3%.

CONCLUSIONSPeople aged 50 to 70 tend to get GI cancer in Heilongjiang province. Gastric cancer is the most common GI cancer. Radical excision is the main choice of therapy.