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

Abstract

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. 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). 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%). 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.