A recent report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and reported by Healthday found that while gastric cancer has been declining in most groups in the United States, cancer rates in young, white adults is rising......
A recent report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and reported by Healthday found that while gastric cancer has been declining in most groups in the United States, cancer rates in young, white adults is rising.
The researchers looked at the rates of stomach cancer from 1977 through 2006 using data from the National Cancer Institute. They compared stomach cancer rates by age, race and other factors over the 30-year period.
The reasons for the increase in gastric cancer in young, white adults is still not understood, as gastric cancer as a whole has been declining for the last 30 years. While the increase is thought to be less than 3 percent annually, lead researcher Dr. Charles Rabkin said over time that rate can grow “like compound interest on a loan.”
Dr. Ahmedin Jemal, strategic director for cancer occurrence at the American Cancer Society, wants further study of the increase.
"Anything that occurs in the younger age group indicates a burden in the future," Jemal said. Understanding the factors contributing to the increase “can avert the future cancer burden."
Stomach cancer, usually found in adults over 65, is linked to infection with Helicobacter pylori, a bacteria responsible for a variety of medical conditions, including ulcers. H. pylori can be detected easily; one method, which can be performed in a doctor’s office, is the urea breath test.