Doctors increasingly detect gastric tumors in the early stages, saving hopes of life-saving treatment for one of the deadliest cancers.
Researchers reported Saturday On Digestive Week, a large international conference on gastroenterology, liver disease and endoscopy.
Advances in tools used to double-check the upper gastrointestinal tract allow doctors to see small tumors that were previously undetectable, which allows doctors to see small tumors that were previously discovered, according to the study’s lead author Mohamed Tausif Siddiqui, the study’s lead author.
"After metastasis, they were discovered, which is why the results were very poor," Siddiqui said in an interview. "The entire paradigm is changing, and more local cancers are found and fewer metastatic cancers are being discovered."
The newer endoscope, used in the thin tubes in the body, provides a higher definition view of the upper gastrointestinal tract, Siddiqui said. The camera directed to the patient's stomach has the ability to enlarge the suspicious area.
Siddiqui and his colleagues analyzed data from the National Cancer Institute SEER-22 database and found that the diagnosis of early gastric cancer has steadily increased from 2004 to 2021.
In contrast, more advanced cases have significantly decreased when the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes and/or distant organs.
In 2004, early gastric cancer, also known as gastric cancer. Detected at a rate of 1.94 per 100,000 times. By 2021, this number has risen to 2.97 per 100,000 people. By comparison, late-stage cancers detected in 2004 and 2.35 cancers detected in 2021 were 2.55 per 100,000 people.
The American Cancer Society predicts that in 2025, there will be about 26,500 new cases of gastric cancer diagnosed, with more than 10,800 deaths.
Cleveland Clinic researchers found that more cases of gastric cancer are being diagnosed in people aged 50 and under.
There are many factors that can increase a person's risk of gastric cancer, including Helicobacter pylori infection Siddiki said bacteria, genetic susceptibility and smoking history.
Helicobacter pylori infection can cause gastric inflammation and has been shown to cause ulcers.
Early signs of gastric cancer include:
Researchers hope the new findings will lead to gastric cancer screening guidelines, similar to recommendations for colon cancer.
Currently, in the United States, the disease is only checked for if you have symptoms or family history. Many people have no obvious symptoms before the spread of cancer.
The new study may be a "turning point" in early discovery, says Ji Yoon, a gastroenterologist and assistant professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine in New York.
"These findings are very exciting, and this is the most diagnosed local gastric cancer in the United States," Yoon said.
Yuan said that the incidence of gastric cancer in Japan and South Korea is higher. "Anyone over 50 years old will be screened in Japan, where Koreans aged 40 to 74 have an upper endoscopy every two years."
Early gastric cancer is limited to the stomach wall and can usually be treated with minimal invasive surgery. In more advanced cases, more extensive surgery is often required to clear part of the stomach.
Yin said the overall five-year survival rate for gastric cancer is about 36%. For people with earlier or local cancers, the five-year survival rate is 77%.
Dr. Michael Gibson, director of translational research at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, said more and more people are getting arrested early, especially because “gastric cancer is rising among teenagers and young adults.”
Data from the new study suggest that the diagnostic phase is decreasing in both adolescent and young people. He said that while it is not clear why the patients in the study were examined for gastric cancer, some patients may be scanned for other reasons and stumbled upon gastric cancer.
These new findings suggest that more patients may survive gastric cancer because gastric cancer is early, said Dr. Ryan Moy, a medical oncologist at the School of Doctors and Surgeons at Columbia University in New York.
"However, we may need to do a longer follow-up to see if this can improve survival outcomes," Gibson said.