GASTRIC-CANCER IN ICELAND - A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY OF RESECTED GASTRICSPECIMENS IN A HIGH-RISK COUNTRY DURING 30 YEARS (1960-1989)

The world-wide incidence of gastric cancer is decreasing, especially i n high-risk populations such as the Icelanders. We examined retrospect ively 1,040 specimens of resected gastric cancers from a 30-year perio d, 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 rema ined relatively unchanged. Tumours of the antrum and the corpus decrea sed in both sexes. In males there was a significant increase in tumour s of the cardia and most of these were of the intestinal type. In fema les 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 th e cardia concomitant with a decrease in incidence of tumours in other parts of the stomach suggests a difference in aetiological factors. Th e death risk for patients with tumours of the cardia was 59% higher th an that for those with tumours in other parts. The death risk followin g gastric resection was not significantly different when patients with intestinal-type tumours and diffuse tumours were compared. (C) 1994 W iley-Liss, Inc.