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Prevention

• The number of stomach cancers has decreased because of the following:
  
  
  • Improved socioeconomic standards
    
    
  • Widespread use of refrigeration for food preservation
    
    
  • Adoption of diets rich in fruits and vegetables
  
  
• In areas where frequency of stomach cancer remains high, such as Japan, screening programs that include upper GI barium studies and, more recently, gastrointestinal endoscopy have improved survival rates.
  
  
• Doctors are finding more cases at an early stage of development.
  
  
• Eliminating Helicobacter pylori infection in people with peptic ulcer disease also may decrease rates of stomach cancer.
  
  
• It has been suggested that people who had portions of their stomachs removed 20 years ago or longer should receive yearly endoscopies. This is because of the increased risk of stomach cancer following such surgery.
  
  
• Evidence does not support mass screening of populations with lower rates of stomach cancer.