Noteworthy Numbers: Stomach Cancer

Until the late 1930s, stomach cancer-also called gastric cancer-was the leading cause of cancer death in the United States; although it is still a major cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, it is now much less common in this country.¹ The following provides a brief look at this difficult-to-detect cancer.

• In the United States, the incidence and mortality of stomach cancer has declined consistently for the past 35 years.2 Incidence has fallen an average of 1.5% yearly for the past 10 years, and stomach cancer now ranks as the 16th most common type of cancer.²
• For 2015, the American Cancer Society estimates that 15,540 men and 9050 women have been diagnosed with stomach cancer, and approximately 6500 men and 4220 women will die from the disease. The 5-year, overall, relative survival rate is 29%. However, because routine screening for stomach cancer is not done in the United States and early-stage stomach cancer rarely causes symptoms, most stomach cancers are not diagnosed until late stages. The 5-year survival rate for patients diagnosed with stage IV stomach cancer is 4%.¹
• Inherited cancer syndromes, such as hereditary diffuse gastric cancer (HDGC), account for only 1% to 3% of stomach cancers, but HDGC increases the risk for the disease 56% to 70% by age 80 years.³ Approximately 95% of stomach cancers are adenocarcinomas, originating in the stomach lining.⁴
• In 2013, the National Cancer Institute reported $4.789 billion available for research. Stomach cancer research received less funding than any other cancer type: $11.2 million, down from $15.4 million in 2009.5 It has been estimated that in 2014, $1.8 billion was spent on caring for stomach cancer patients in the United States.³
• Nonprofit organizations also support stomach cancer research. The American Gastroenterological Association has partnered with the Gastric Cancer Foundation to create a $2,250,000 endowment to fund research into the fundamental pathobiology of gastric cancer.6 No Stomach For Cancer supports international research, and has given $29,078 to the University of Porto, Portugal; $50,000 to the University of British Columbia, Canada; and $50,000 to the University of California Davis.³

References

1. American Cancer Society. Stomach cancer. www.cancer.org/cancer/stomachcancer/. Accessed November 16, 2015.
2. National Cancer Institute. A snapshot of stomach cancer. www.cancer.gov/research/progress/snapshots/stomach. Published November 5, 2014. Accessed November 16, 2015.
3. No Stomach For Cancer, Inc. www.nostomachforcancer.org. Accessed November 16, 2015.
4. Livstone EM. Stomach cancer. www.merckmanuals.com/home/digestive-disorders/tumors-of-the-digestive-system/stomach-cancer. Accessed November 16, 2015.
5. National Cancer Institute. NCI budget fact book. www.cancer.gov/about-nci/budget/fact-book-2013. Published December 22, 2014. Accessed November 16, 2015.
6. Gastric Cancer Foundation. Research grants. www.gastriccancer.org/focus-on-research/research-grants/. Accessed November 16, 2015.