Unchanging trend of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus and gastric cardia in Taiwan: a 15-year experience in a single center.
Chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease is closely associated with esophageal adenocarcinoma and gastric cardia carcinoma, and esophageal adenocarcinoma and gastric cardia carcinoma have both been increasing in Western countries recently. Gastroesophageal reflux disease is not rare in Taiwan, but the frequency of occurrence of esophageal adenocarcinoma or gastric cardia carcinoma has not been studied here to date. Patients diagnosed with esophageal and gastric cancers at this hospital between 1981 and 1995 were recruited using the hospital tumor registry database. There were 45, 1546, 970, and 4167 patients diagnosed with esophageal adenocarcinoma, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, gastric cardia carcinoma, and gastric noncardia adenocarcinoma, respectively. The ratios of esophageal adenocarcinoma versus esophageal squamous cell carcinoma among the three cohorts were 0.030, 0.016, and 0.041, respectively (trend, P = 0.086). The corresponding values for gastric cardia carcinoma versus gastric noncardia adenocarcinoma were 0.252, 0.232, and 0.218, respectively (trend, P = 0.256). The ratios of esophageal adenocarcinoma versus esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and of gastric cardia carcinoma versus gastric noncardia adenocarcinoma have not risen in the three cohorts. Unlike the situation in Western countries, the incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma and gastric cardia carcinoma versus esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and gastric noncardia adenocarcinoma have not increased over the past 15 years among the Chinese in Taiwan. Although gastroesophageal reflux disease is common here, its definite pathogenesis leading to esophageal adenocarcinoma or gastric cardia carcinoma remains unresolved.
Chang
Shen-Shong
SS
Division of Gastroenterology, Cancer Center, Taipei Veterans General Hospital and National Yang-Ming University School of Medicine, Taiwan.
Lu
Ching-Liang
CL
Chao
Jing-Yi
JY
Chao
Yee
Y
Yen
Sang-Hue
SH
Wang
Sun-Sang
SS
Chang
Full-Young
FY
Lee
Shou-Dong
SD
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D002299:Cardia; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013624:Taiwan