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Review
. 2019;14(1):26-38.
doi: 10.5114/pg.2018.80001. Epub 2018 Nov 28.

Epidemiology of gastric cancer: global trends, risk factors and prevention

Affiliations
Review

Epidemiology of gastric cancer: global trends, risk factors and prevention

Prashanth Rawla et al. Prz Gastroenterol. 2019.

Abstract

Gastric cancer remains one of the most common and deadly cancers worldwide, especially among older males. Based on GLOBOCAN 2018 data, stomach cancer is the 5th most common neoplasm and the 3rd most deadly cancer, with an estimated 783,000 deaths in 2018. Gastric cancer incidence and mortality are highly variable by region and highly dependent on diet and Helicobacter pylori infection. While strides in preventing and treating H. pylori infection have decreased the overall incidence of gastric cancer, they have also contributed to an increase in the incidence of cardia gastric cancer, a rare subtype of the neoplasm that has grown 7-fold in the past decades. A better understanding of the etiology and risk factors of the disease can help reach a consensus in approaching H. pylori infection. Dietary modification, smoking cessation, and exercise hold promise in preventing gastric cancer, while genetic testing is enabling earlier diagnosis and thus greater survival.

Keywords: epidemiology; gastric cancer; incidence; mortality; prevention; risk factors; stomach cancer; survival.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Graph shows the estimated incidence and prevalence of cancer cases worldwide, both sexes, all ages (reproduced from http://globocan.iarc.fr/ [5])
Figure 2
Figure 2
Map shows the estimated age-standardized incidence rates (world) for stomach cancer in 2018, both sexes, all ages (reproduced from http://globocan.iarc.fr/ [5])
Figure 3
Figure 3
A – Estimated age-standardized incidence rates (World) in 2018, stomach, males and females, all ages (reproduced from http://globocan.iarc.fr/ [5]). B – Estimated age-standardized mortality rates (World) in 2018, stomach, males and females, all ages (reproduced from http://globocan.iarc.fr/ [5])
Figure 4
Figure 4
Table shows the estimated age-standardized incidence rates per 100,000 for stomach cancer in 2018, all ages, in both sexes, men and women (reproduced and modified from http://globocan.iarc.fr/ [5])
Figure 5
Figure 5
Graph shows the estimated age-standardized mortality rates (world) in 2018, worldwide, males and females, all ages (reproduced from http://globocan.iarc.fr/ [5])
Figure 6
Figure 6
Map shows the estimated age-standardized mortality rates (world) for stomach cancer in 2018, both sexes, all ages (reproduced from http://globocan.iarc.fr/ [5])
Figure 7
Figure 7
Bar chart of stomach cancer, age-standardized 5-year net survival, adults (aged 15–99), England and Wales, 1971–2011 (reproduced from reference [9])
Figure 8
Figure 8
Stomach cancer, recent trends in SEER incidence rates, 2000–2015 by race/ethnicity (reproduced from http://seer.cancer.gov/ [60])

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