Gastric Cancer Mortality Trends in China (2006-2013) Reveal Increasing Mortality in Young Subjects.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Although the advent of Helicobacter pylori eradication and global societal changes are widely assumed to impact on gastric cancer (GC)-related mortality, there is remarkable little quantitative and qualitative insight into the nature of its effects. Here, we exploited a nationwide reporting system to investigate the epidemiological features of GC-related mortality in China between 2006 and 2013.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: GC mortality data between 2006 and 2013 were obtained from the National Disease Surveillance System published by the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

RESULTS: GC mortality increased by 8.2% (from 18.87/100,000 to 20.41/100,000), while GC mortality standardized by the age scale of the population in 2010 decreased by 17.8% (from 21.87/100,000 to 17.98/100,000). Standardized GC mortality in males (25.66/100,000 to 33.89/100,000) was higher compared to females (10.72/100,000 to 14.79/100,000), while standardized GC mortality in rural areas (19.17/100,000 to 26.46/100,000) was higher than in urban areas (15.48/100,000 to 20.04/100,000). Both crude and standardized rates in the 0- to 29-year-old group increased by 22.3% and 16.2%, respectively; while these rates declined in the 30- to 59-year-old group and over 60-year-old group. The proportion of GC deaths that accounts for all cancer deaths declined from 15.99% (2006) to 13.6% (2013); however, the proportion in the 0- to 29-year-old group revealed an increasing trend from 2006 (3.20%) to 2013 (3.87%).

CONCLUSION: Our results reveal a remarkable increase in GC-related mortality in subjects under the age of 30 calling for further measures to prevent the increase in the incidence of GC in young patients.