Epidemiology
There are pronounced global epidemiologic variations in stomach cancer. Higher incidences are reported in Eastern Asia (particularly in Korea, Mongolia, Japan, and China), Central and Eastern Europe, and South America. Lower incidence rates are reported in North America, North and Western Europe, and Africa.[4]
The American Cancer Society estimates that 30,300 new patients will be diagnosed with gastric cancer in the US in 2025, and that 10,780 people will die from gastric cancer in the same year.[5] Gastric cancer incidence and gastric cancer mortality have been declining in the US since the middle of the 20th century.[5] This is believed to be attributable to the increased availability of fresh vegetables and fruits, refrigeration (reducing need for salt-preserved food), and a reduction in chronic Helicobacter pylori infection.
While the overall rates of stomach cancer continue to decline, adenocarcinoma of the gastric cardia is increasing in North America and Europe. This is thought to be related to increased obesity, and, perhaps, improvement in classification.[6]
Men are more likely to have gastric cancer than women.[5] In the US, African-American, Hispanic, and American-Indian people are twice as likely to develop gastric cancer as white people.[5]
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