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The Descriptive Epidemiology of Gastric Cancer in Central America and Comparison with United States Hispanic Populations

  • Original Research
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Abstract

Purpose

The aims of this study were to delineate the epidemiology of gastric adenocarcinoma in Central America and contrast it with Hispanic-Latino populations in the USA.

Methods

Published literature and Central America Ministry of Health databases were used as primary data sources, including national, population-based, and hospital-based registries. US data was obtained from the National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Epidemiology End Results Program (SEER) registry. Incident gastric adenocarcinoma cases were analyzed for available data between 1985 and 2011, including demographic variables and pathology information.

Results

In Central America, 19,741 incident gastric adenocarcinomas were identified. Two thirds of the cases were male, 20.5 % were under age 55, and 58.5 %were from rural areas. In the SEER database (n = 7871), 57.8 % were male and 28.9 % were under age 55. Among the US Hispanics born in Central America with gastric cancer (n = 1210), 50.3 % of cases were male and 38.1 % were under age 55.

Non-cardia gastric cancer was more common in Central America (83.3 %), among US Hispanics (80.2 %), and Hispanics born in Central America (86.3 %). Cancers of the antrum were more common in Central America (73.6 %), whereas cancers of the corpus were slightly more common among US Hispanics (54.0 %). Adenocarcinoma of the diffuse subtype was relatively common, both in Central America (35.7 %) and US Hispanics (69.5 %), although Lauren classification was reported in only 50 % of cases.

Conclusions

A significant burden of gastric adenocarcinoma is observed in Central America based upon limited available data. Differences are noted between Central America and US Hispanics. Strengthening population-based registries is needed for improved cancer control in Central America, which may have implications for the growing US Hispanic population.

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Abbreviations

CA-4:

Central American four countries (Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua)

LMIC:

Low-middle-income countries

PBCR:

Population-based cancer registry

HBCR:

Hospital-based cancer registry

IARC:

International Agency for Research on Cancer

MOH:

Ministry of Health

SEER:

Surveillance and Epidemiology End Results Program

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to express gratitude for the support from the following individuals and institutions: Joaquin Barnoya and E. Robert Greenberg for study plan advice, the Honduras Ministry of Health and Hospital de Occidente, and Angel E. Mendez for assistance with the Nicaragua data.

Conflict of Interests

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Financial Support

This study was supported in part by grants from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (CA1255884 and CA167773, DRM).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Jackson Memorial Hospital, 1611 NW 12th Avenue Central Building, Room 600D (R-60), Miami, FL, 33136, USA

    Juan E. Corral

  2. Research Department, Cardiovascular Unit of Guatemala, Guatemala City, Guatemala

    Juan E. Corral

  3. School of Medicine, Universidad Francisco Marroquin, Guatemala City, Guatemala

    Juan J. Delgado Hurtado

  4. Western Regional Hospital, Ministry of Health, Santa Rosa de Copán, Honduras

    Ricardo L. Domínguez

  5. Ministry of Health, San Salvador, El Salvador

    Marisabel Valdez de Cuéllar & Carlos Balmore Cruz

  6. Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA

    Douglas R. Morgan

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  1. Juan E. Corral
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  3. Ricardo L. Domínguez
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Correspondence to Juan E. Corral.

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Corral, J.E., Delgado Hurtado, J.J., Domínguez, R.L. et al. The Descriptive Epidemiology of Gastric Cancer in Central America and Comparison with United States Hispanic Populations. J Gastrointest Canc 46, 21–28 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12029-014-9672-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12029-014-9672-1

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