Gastric cancer in Iceland: A retrospective study of resected gastric specimens in a high‐risk country during 30 years (1960–1989)

The world‐wide incidence of gastric cancer is decreasing, especially in high‐risk populations such as the Icelanders. We examined retrospectively 1,040 specimens of resected gastric cancers from a 30‐year period, 1960–1989. The decrease in incidence in both sexes involved mainly the largest histological group, the intestinal‐type tumours. In males there was also a decrease in diffuse tumours but in females these remained relatively unchanged. Tumours of the antrum and the corpus decreased in both sexes. In males there was a significant increase in tumours of the cardia and most of these were of the intestinal type. In females there was a minor increase in tumours of the cardia, all of which were of the intestinal type. An increase in incidence of tumours of the cardia concomitant with a decrease in incidence of tumours in other parts of the stomach suggests a difference in aetiological factors. The death risk for patients with tumours of the cardia was 59% higher than that for those with tumours in other parts. The death risk following gastric resection was not significantly different when patients with intestinal‐type tumours and diffuse tumours were compared. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.