Gastric cancer in Iceland: A retrospective study of resected gastric specimens in a high‐risk country during 30 years (1960–1989)

• Published in: International Journal of Cancer
• Main Authors: Jónasson, Lárus, Hallgrímsson, Jónas, Sigvaldason, Helgi, Ólafsdóttir, Gudrídur, Tulinius, Hrafn
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1994
• Subjects: Iceland
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ijc.2910570606; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fijc.2910570606; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ijc.2910570606

Abstract The world‐wide incidence of gastric cancer is decreasing, especially in high‐risk populations such as the Icelanders. We examined retrospectively 1,040 specimens of resected gastric cancers from a 30‐year period, 1960–1989. The decrease in incidence in both sexes involved mainly the largest histological group, the intestinal‐type tumours. In males there was also a decrease in diffuse tumours but in females these remained relatively unchanged. Tumours of the antrum and the corpus decreased in both sexes. In males there was a significant increase in tumours of the cardia and most of these were of the intestinal type. In females there was a minor increase in tumours of the cardia, all of which were of the intestinal type. An increase in incidence of tumours of the cardia concomitant with a decrease in incidence of tumours in other parts of the stomach suggests a difference in aetiological factors. The death risk for patients with tumours of the cardia was 59% higher than that for those with tumours in other parts. The death risk following gastric resection was not significantly different when patients with intestinal‐type tumours and diffuse tumours were compared. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.