Journal of gastrointestinal and liver diseases : JGLD
August 18, 2026 · via Europe PMC
Deaths Due to Second Hematological Malignancies Following Gastrointestinal Cancers: A Nationwide 25-Year Cross-Sectional Analysis.
Rath S, Lal A, Hasan A, Ali M, Magsi IA, Alam U, Khan M.
AI summary — for doctors, generated from the abstract only
Using US death certificate data from 1999-2023, mortality from second hematological malignancies among older adults with GI cancers declined until 2017 and then rose sharply.
What was studied
A descriptive cross-sectional analysis of CDC WONDER death certificate data on deaths involving both GI cancers and hematological malignancies in adults aged 65 and older, with joinpoint trend analysis.
Key findings
- 22,668 deaths were identified
- Age-adjusted mortality rose from 21.88 in 1999 to 25.55 in 2023
- Rates declined from 1999 to 2017, then increased sharply from 2017 to 2023 (AAPC 5.49)
- Rates were higher in males, non-Hispanic White individuals, older age groups, and non-metropolitan areas
Clinical relevance
The trends highlight possible disparities in this population, but death certificate data cannot confirm that hematological cancers were treatment-related second malignancies.
Who should care
Limitations
Death certificate data cannot establish sequence, causality, or treatment exposure; the rate units are not stated in the abstract.
Deaths from blood cancers among older GI cancer survivors have been rising since 2017.
This is an AI-generated summary of the published abstract, not a clinical recommendation. It may not reflect the full text or subsequent updates — verify against the original source before acting on it.
Abstract
Background and aims
Cancer survivors, particularly those treated for gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, face an elevated risk of developing secondary hematological malignancies (SHMs) such as leukemia, lymphoma, and myelodysplastic syndromes. This study aimed to analyze national trends in mortality due to SHMs among older adults with GI malignancies over 25 years.
Methods
We conducted a descriptive analysis of SHM-related deaths in patients with GI malignancies using CDC-WONDER death certificate data from 1999 to 2023. Age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) were calculated, and annual percent change (APC) and average annual percent change (APC) were determined using the JoinPoint Regression to identify significant temporal changes.
Results
A total of 22,668 deaths occurred due to hematological and GI malignancies. The AAMR increased from 21.88 in 1999 to 25.55 in 2023. Significant trends were observed, with an initial decline from 1999 to 2017, followed by a sharp increase from 2017 to 2023 (AAPC: 5.49; 95%CI: 3.63-8.61). Males exhibited a higher average AAMR compared to females. Crude mortality rates increased with age, with the lowest in the 65-74 age group and the highest in the 85+ age group. Non-Hispanic Whites had the highest average AAMR (22.35), followed by Blacks (18.84). Non-metropolitan areas consistently had higher AAMRs (23.37; 95%CI: 19.89-26.85) compared to metropolitan areas (19.98; 95%CI: 18.46-21.50).
Conclusion
This study highlighted significant temporal trends in SHM-related mortality among GI-cancer patients aged 65 and older. The increasing mortality rates, particularly post-2017, call for targeted interventions to address disparities and improve outcomes for vulnerable populations.
DOI
10.15403/jgld-6802
PMID
42617102
Research metadata (titles, abstracts, authors, publication dates) is sourced from Europe PMC, which aggregates content from PubMed/MEDLINE, PubMed Central, and other providers under the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM/NCBI). NLM does not claim copyright on abstracts; the original journal publishers or authors may hold rights to the full articles. AI-generated summaries are derived only from the abstract, never the full text, and are always labeled as AI-generated.
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