Stomach Cancer Trends

Stomach cancer incidence increasing among 25-to-39-year-old whites.
The AP (5/5, Tanner) reports that while the "chances for developing stomach cancer are still very low in young adults...the incidence among 25 to 39 year old whites nonetheless climbed by almost 70 percent in the past three decades," National Cancer Institute researchers and colleagues found in a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The "stomach cancer rates have been declining in many countries because of improved food preservation and better hygiene, which decreases risks for H. pylori infection, so the overall US decline was expected, said Dr. Charles Rabkin of the National Cancer Institute, the study's lead author." But, "the researchers noted that salt intake has increased among Americans of all ages, and said they will be investigating whether changes in eating habits explain the rise in young adults." HealthDay (5/4, Reinberg) and MedPage Today (5/4, Fiore) also covered the story.