Molecular epidemiology, pathogenesis and prevention of gastric cancer

Cancer of the stomach is one of the most commonly diagnosed malignancies and remains an important cause of mortality world wide. This type of cancer is not uniformly distributed among populations but shows a marked variation in both incidence and mortality. Although gastric cancer is declining in many parts of the world, the reasons for this decline are not well understood and its etiology remains unclear. Several factors are suspected to play a role in gastric carcinogenesis, including the effects of diet, exogenous chemicals, intragastric synthesis of carcinogens, genetic factors, infectious agents and pathological conditions in the stomach (such as gastritis). A new look at the results of epidemiological and experimental studies is important for the establishment of strategies for control. Since cancer of the stomach has a very poor prognosis in its more advanced stages, such a control program must have its main focus on primary prevention. This review describes our knowledge about cancer of the stomach regarding epidemiology, pathogenesis and prevention.