Fifth
most common cancer type worldwide
Over 1 Million
new cases each year globally
Approximately 28,000 US cases estimated in 2020
1 in 111
men and women will be diagnosed in their lifetime
Up to 10%
of stomach cancer cases are “familial” in origin
Up to 42%
lifetime risk in hereditary cases
Hereditary Diffuse Gastric Cancer Syndrome (HDGC) increases the risk for diffuse gastric cancer (42% risk by age 80) and lobular breast cancer (42-55% risk for women by age 80)
4%
5-year survival rate for Stage IV stomach cancer patients
The overall 5-year survival rate is 29.3%
Second
most common cause of cancer deaths globally
An estimated 11,000 Americans and 782,000 worldwide will die from stomach cancer in 2020
$1.8 billion
was spent on the care of stomach cancer patients in the US in 2014
But the National Cancer Institute invested only $11.2 million to fund stomach cancer research in 2013
Only 0.23%
of the National Cancer Institute’s 2013 budget was dedicated to stomach cancer
Stomach cancer received the least amount of NCI research dollars in 2013 compared to other types of cancer
Did You Know?
- Stomach cancer is difficult to detect and is typically diagnosed in late stages
- Treatment of H. pylori infection (a common bacterial infection of the stomach) can decrease the risk of stomach cancer development
- A diet high in smoked, salted, and pickled foods, tobacco use, and obesity can all increase the risk of stomach cancer
- People who carry the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations, which increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, may also have an increased risk of developing stomach cancer
- Stomach cancer can be hereditary, sometimes caused by a gene mutation (CDH1 is one such gene)
- Preventative complete removal of the stomach (gastrectomy) is the treatment for those with a CDH1 gene mutation
- Stomach, lobular breast, and colon cancer are all risks for those with the CDH1 gene mutation
- A person can live a normal life without a stomach
- Early detection of stomach cancer is the key to survival
- You can help save lives by raising awareness of stomach cancer
References
National Cancer Institute: SEER Stat Fact Sheets
National Cancer Institute: A Snapshot of Stomach (Gastric) Cancer
National Cancer Institute: Fiscal Year 20013 Fact Book
Who – Globocan 2018 World Fact Sheet
Vogelaar IP, van der Post RS, Carneiro F, Guilford P, Huntsman D, et al. Hereditary diffuse gastric cancer: updated clinical guidelines with an emphasis on germline CDH1 mutation carriers. J Med Genet. 2015;00:1-14.