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Review
. 2023 Jan 21;15(3):664.
doi: 10.3390/cancers15030664.

A Global Perspective on Gastric Cancer Screening: Which Concepts Are Feasible, and When?

Wladyslaw Januszewicz  1   2 , Maryla Helena Turkot  2 , Peter Malfertheiner  3 , Jaroslaw Regula  1   2
Affiliations
Review

A Global Perspective on Gastric Cancer Screening: Which Concepts Are Feasible, and When?

Wladyslaw Januszewicz et al. Cancers (Basel). .

Abstract

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) remains the fifth most common cancer and the third most common cause of cancer-related death globally. In 2022, GC fell into the scope of the updated EU recommendations for targeted cancer screening. Given the growing awareness of the GC burden, we aimed to review the existing screening strategies for GC in high-risk regions and discuss potentially applicable modalities in countries with low-to-intermediate incidence.

Methods: The references for this Review article were identified through searches of PubMed with the search terms "gastric cancer", "stomach cancer", "Helicobacter pylori", and "screening" over the period from 1995 until August 2022.

Results: As Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)-induced gastritis is the primary step in the development of GC, the focus on GC prevention may be directed toward testing for and treating this infection. Such a strategy may be appealing in countries with low- and intermediate- GC incidence. Other biomarker-based approaches to identify at-risk individuals in such regions are being evaluated. Within high-incidence areas, both primary endoscopic screening and population-based H. pylori "test-and-treat" strategies represent cost-effective models.

Conclusions: Given the significant variations in GC incidence and healthcare resources around the globe, screening strategies for GC should be adjusted to the actual conditions in each region. While several proven tools exist for accurate GC diagnosis, a universal modality for the screening of GC populations remains elusive.

Keywords: early detection; helicobacter pylori; stomach neoplasms.

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Conflict of interest statement

None of the authors disclose any conflict of interest. This manuscript is a modified version of a previously published book chapter (Januszewicz W, Malfertheiner P, Regula J. Screening for gastric cancer in Europe: is it feasible and useful? In: Tamara Matysiak-Budnik T, ed. From premalignant lesions to early gastric cancer—What is clinically relevant? Rouen: Le Grand Métier, 2021: 15–25) and was created with the permission of the publisher and Chief Editor of the book.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Age-standardized incidence rates (ASRs) of gastric cancer worldwide.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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