Risk Factors

• Stomach cancer remains the second most frequent cause of cancer-related death worldwide, with particularly high frequencies in Japan, China, Korea, parts of Eastern Europe, and Latin America. Established risk factors for stomach cancer include the following:
  
  
  • Low socioeconomic status
  
  
  
  • Male sex
  
  
  
  • Advanced age
  
  
  
  • A prior diagnosis of pernicious anemia (a chronic progressive disease caused by the failure of the body to absorb vitamin B-12)
  
  
  
  • A diet deficient in fresh fruits and vegetables and rich in salted or smoked fish or meats and poorly preserved foods


• Treating benign stomach or duodenal ulcer disease by removing part of your stomach is associated with an increased risk of cancer developing in the remaining stomach, especially at least 15 years after the surgery.



• Recent studies have demonstrated a higher frequency of stomach cancer in people chronically infected with Helicobacter pylori, a common cause of chronic gastritis and peptic ulcer disease.



• A family history of stomach cancer is a further risk factor in the disease.



• People with blood type A also have an increased risk.

Viewer Comments & Reviews

Stomach Cancer - Describe Your Experience

The eMedicineHealth physician editors ask:

Please describe your experience with stomach cancer.

Anonymously share your comment to help others.
See 3 Viewer Comments & Reviews

Submit Your Review