A case-control study of gastric cancer and diet in northern Kyushu, Japan

A case-control study of gastric cancer was done in a rural area of northern Kyushu, Japan, in relation to dietary habits especially focusing on the relationship with the consumption of broiled fish. The study was based upon 139 cases of newly diagnosed gastric cancer at a single institution, 2,574 hospital controls and 278 controls sampled randomly from the residents of the study area (with sex and year of birth matched). No association was observed between the consumption of broiled fish and gastric cancer risk whether three types of broiled fish (raw fish, dried fish and salted fish) were analyzed separately or as a single category. However, consistently in the comparisons with both sets of controls, the risk of gastric cancer was inversely related with the consumption of fruits and positively associated with cigarette smoking. A decreased risk of gastric cancer was also noted among those with high consumption of green tea (10 or more cups per day).