From the Guidelines
Stomach cancer consistently declined in both incidence and mortality between 1975 and 2015 after colorectal cancer. This decline has been significant and steady over the decades, representing one of the major success stories in cancer prevention and treatment. The reduction in stomach cancer rates is largely attributed to several factors: decreased prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection due to improved sanitation and antibiotic treatments; better food preservation methods that reduced consumption of salt-preserved foods; increased refrigeration which allows for greater consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables; reduced smoking rates; and improvements in early detection and treatment approaches.
Key Factors Contributing to the Decline
- Decreased prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection due to improved sanitation and antibiotic treatments 1
- Better food preservation methods that reduced consumption of salt-preserved foods 1
- Increased refrigeration which allows for greater consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables 1
- Reduced smoking rates
- Improvements in early detection and treatment approaches While other cancer types have shown variable patterns with some periods of increase followed by decline, stomach cancer has demonstrated a consistent downward trend in both new cases and deaths throughout this 40-year period, making it stand out as having one of the most sustained improvements in cancer outcomes. According to the most recent study 1, the incidence of gastric cancer has decreased substantially in the United States and Western Europe over the past several decades.
From the Research
Cancer Trends
- The overall cancer mortality rate has declined by 26% between 1990 and 2015, with a 32% decline among men and a 22% decline among women 2.
- Among men, mortality rates dropped for lung cancer by 45%, for colorectal cancer by 47%, and for prostate cancer by 53% between 1990 and 2015 2.
- Among women, mortality rates dropped for lung cancer by 8%, for colorectal cancer by 44%, and for breast cancer by 39% between 1990 and 2015 2.
Specific Cancer Types
- Colorectal cancer mortality rates declined by 47% among men and 44% among women between 1990 and 2015 2.
- Lung cancer mortality rates declined by 45% among men and 8% among women between 1990 and 2015 2.
- Prostate cancer mortality rates declined by 53% among men between 1990 and 2015 2.
- Breast cancer mortality rates declined by 39% among women between 1990 and 2015 2.
Long-Term Trends
- The overall cancer incidence and mortality rates in the United States have been declining since the early 1990s, with a 33.6% decrease in cancer mortality rates among males and a 23.6% decrease among females between 1975 and 2016 3.
- The top three leading cancers and causes of cancer death from 1975 to 2016 were prostate, lung and bronchial, and colon and rectal cancers among men, and breast, lung and bronchial, and colon and rectal cancers among women 3.
However, there are no research papers to assist in answering which one of the following cancers consistently declined in both incidents and mortality between 1975 and 2015 after colorectal cancer.